transformers prime season 3
by jt loco brain
Summary: The end of season 2 left the Autobots in their darkest hour yet, of any continuity. Now, they must rally together in order to defeat the Decepticons, the Predacons, and a strange new group allied with no side. THIS DOES NOT FOLLOW THE REAL SEASON 3. Seriously. Rated for violence, and some teenage thoughts.
1. previously

Transformers Prime Season 3  
Episode 1/53: Predacon Rising

_**Previously, on Transformers Prime:**_

_Optimus hurtled down the mountain in truck form. A cliff looms ahead, gently sloped upwards, the perfect ramp. The semi truck launched high into the air. The _Nemesis _tried to escape, hauling the enormous boulder skyward._

_Optimus arced gracefully through the sky, and Megatron, in alt mode, rocketed towards him, firing his blasters. One energy bolt slammed into the semi's front end, sending it into a spin. In a cacophony of shifting metal, the truck assumed the shape of the Autobot leader. He reached out towards the boulder, where the hilt of an enormous sword protruded. In an instant, Optimus grasped the handle, dangling under the _Nemesis_, thousands of feet in the air…_

_Optimus held the Star Saber reverently, its mammoth blade shining with the power of the Matrix. His optics constricted. If he were human, he would look to be in a trance._

_Ratchet interrupted his thoughts. "Optimus?"_

"_I am receiving a message," he states._

_The medic paused. "From whom?" _

"_Alpha Trion…"_

_The Autobots stood in rapture as Optimus spoke, giving them the update based on Alpha Trion's news. "We must work to locate the four remaining Iacon Relics," he said. "The Omega Keys…"_

_Starscream leisurely strolled through the Autobots' ground-bridge into their base. Red Energon coursing through his veins allowed him to slip past the two buffoons that were 'guarding' it at hyper-speed. "It appears I have the run of the place," he laughed..._

_The ground-bridge closed behind Starscream, the Red Energon affording him just enough speed. He made his way over to the frozen figure of Optimus, reveling in his superiority, gloating over his triumph. The Red Energon chose that moment to expunge itself from his system. Time appeared to ripple as Starscream returned to normal-speed…_

_The Seeker dove through the open portal of the Decepticon ground-bridge, Optimus' blasts ricocheting off the swirling vortex…_

_Megatron glared down at his former second-in-command. "What is it that you ask in return?" he said._

"_Only to be a Decepticon once again," Starscream stated with a bow…_

_Knockout plugged the cortical psychic patch into the table that his leader was laying on. "What will we be fishing for today, my liege?"_

_Megatron glared sideways at the Seeker and growled, "Starscream's true motives…"_

_The two silver mechas strode through the depths of Starscream's mind. The Seeker confidently prattled on, while in the outside world, Knockout and Dreadwing watched what transpired on a screen in sickbay. "Skyquake is neither living nor dead," he said, as they watched his memories, him hurling a shard of Dark Energon into Skyquake's grave…_

_Dreadwing stood on the deck of the _Nemesis_, lightning flashing and thunder booming. He threw back his head, letting out a howl of grief and anger that, had anyone been around to hear it, would have sent them running in fear…_

_The Autobots exited their ground-bridge, guns at the ready, prepared to fight…_

"_The Forge of Solus Prime?" Arcee inquired…_

"_What do you ask in return?" said Optimus. _

_Dreadwing replied amicably, "Only that you use it wisely…"_

_Optimus carried the Forge towards the Autobots ground-bridge. "With the Forge of Solus Prime in our possession," he said, "We now possess the means of reaching Cybertron…"_

_Dreadwing let out a roar of battle, preparing to bring his sword down on Starscream's head. A blast of cannon fire sounded behind him, accompanied by a hole that suddenly appeared in his chest. Megatron walked over to the Seeker, who was babbling his thanks. "Do not _ever _make me regret which one of you I chose to spare," he said…_

_The Autobots solemnly gather the various weapons that they have collected, readying for the coming battle…_

_Optimus carried the Star Saber in front of him, its huge blade glowing. "Megatron must be stopped," he said, "No matter the cost…"_

_On Cybertron, the Autobots faced a horde of vehicons, battling their way towards the Omega Keys. Bumblebee used the Polarity Gauntlet's magnetism powers to take the keys, and the Autobots retreated into the Sea of Rust…_

_Deep within the Sea, the Autobots gather around a small, insignificant looking block of metal, and the Omega Keys begin to glow…_

_The ground around the Autobots begins to shift, a biblical opening. Massive towers rise and mold together, forming the Omega Lock…_

_Megatron lands in front of the Autobots, and demanded they turn over the keys. Behind him, a space-bridge opened. Starscream, Knockout, and Soundwave emerged, carrying strange looking canisters. Inside were Jack, Miko, and Raf…_

_The Decepticon leader touched an icon on the controls of the Omega Lock. An enormous energy beam exploded out of the Lock, disappearing through the vortex of a space-bridge. It emerged from the other side near Earth. The beam traversed the distance in mere seconds, slamming into the ground just outside of Jasper, Nevada._

_Optimus slashed down with the Star Saber, severing Megatron's arm. He leaped forward, over the heads of the other Decepticons, and slammed the blade down on the Omega Lock. Energy backfires, and the Omega Lock explodes in a glorious conflagration…_

_Megatron, his stump of an arm doing nothing to diminish his regal presence, stood on the deck of the _Nemesis_, which hovered over the Autobot base, in front of the metal tower that rose from the Earth. Though he spoke to the entire army of Decepticons gathered behind him, he gave the impression that he was addressing each of them individually. "Our opportunity to revive Cybertron has been lost, due to the treachery of Optimus Prime," he said. "But from our fortress of New Kaon, we will instead seize control of _THIS _world! Decepticons! Transform, and rise up! ..."_

_Ratchet stood before the Autobot's space-bridge, ready to depart, as the others had before him. He turned back to his leader. "I- I never imagined it would end like this," he said sadly. Then he strode forward into the vortex, and disappeared from sight. "Neither did I, old friend," Optimus said mournfully…_

_The _Nemesis _slowly moved into position over the Autobot base, hovering…_

_The _Jackhammer _chased after a pair of flying troopers, and they split off. Before Wheeljack could react, Starscream flew in behind him and loosed a pair of missiles. They slammed into the ship despite its pilot's best maneuvers. Wheeljack valiantly tried to control his ship's descent, and ultimately failed as the _Jackhammer _crashed behind a mesa. Starscream flew away chuckling to himself. "And that," he hissed, "Is how you wreck a Wrecker…"_

_The belly of the _Nemesis _opened, revealing a single enormous cannon. It charged quickly with energy, while Megatron watched triumphantly from a spar of his ship. The weapon fired, energy slammed into rock, and Omega Outpost One was obliterated…_

_Megatron and Starscream stood victorious among the flaming ruins of the Autobot base. They laughed mockingly at the icon displayed on the ground. Off to the side, the arm of Optimus Prime jutted out of the rubble, sparking, dead…_


	2. episode 1 scenes 1-3

1

The red and silver arm of Optimus just looked so… _small_. Incredible, really, how small parts look when not connected to a body. Megatron tightened his grip on the arm, unwilling to let it go, wanting to be sure that it was real, and not simply another stasis induced dream of his subconscious. He had done it. He had won.

"To think, Orion, this is all that remains of the once mighty Prime!" he gloated, holding his trophy high. The others on the bridge of the _Nemesis_ backed away slightly, for their leader was talking to an inanimate object, an action that could be seen as reason to question his sanity.

Suddenly the air on the bridge seemed to grow infinitely colder. The Decepticon leader turned to glare at Starscream. He clearly addressed the Seeker. An accusation, not a question. "Or is it?"

His second-in-command ducked, his head wobbling. He chuckled nervously. "The drones have not yet found his body. It may be that he was annihilated in the strike."

"Or," he said, icily, "It may be a fraud."

"Oh, please," the Seeker scoffed. "Do you honestly believe that Optimus Prime would remove his own arm, just to deceive us?"

The other growled.

"Eh heh. No disrespect meant, master. The Autobots are devious, known for their trickery."

"Be silent, you pathetic sycophant!" He stepped closer. "Find me the body of Prime! Or," came the malicious hint, "I may have to find another cadaver for a trophy."

Starscream gulped nervously. He stepped aside and bowed. Megatron brushed him aside, and thundered off of the bridge.

Megatron stalked into the _Nemesis'_ sickbay, one hand behind his back. He glowered at the sight that greeted him. "Knockout!"

The physician was buffing his back under his wheels. At Megatron's call, he looked under his arm in surprise. "Lord Megatron! Sorry, but you know, buffing has been quite a hassle ever since Breakdown-" the other glared at him more, so Knockout straightened out and put the buffer down. "Erm- is there something that you need?"

After a moment, the Decepticon leader seemed to make up his mind to ignore the robot's vanity. "It is a trivial task, one which is not beyond your… talents." He flexed his limb, withdrawing the red, yellow, and black Prime arm that Optimus had severed in the previous battle. Megatron gave Knockout a significant look.

The other's eyes widened with understanding. "I'll… see what I can do."

2

The country road was deserted, though surprisingly well paved. Then again, with the amount of traffic the road received, it had probably never had a single pothole. Trees overshadowed the pavement on either side, hanging down like they were trying to reclaim the forest.

Into the gloom came a motorcycle, colored bright blue. It stopped at the entrance to a short driveway that went up a shallow slope. At the top sat a two story white house, extraordinarily plain.

Jack Darby hopped off of the motorcycle, grateful for the reprieve. He had been riding non-stop for hours. Even though she was Cybertronian, she still needed more comfortable seats. He chose not to say so. Instead, what he asked was: "Are you sure these are the right coordinates, Arcee?"

"Positive," came her reply.

Jack took a long look around, something he would not have done only a year ago. Then again, a year ago, he wouldn't have been talking to a motorcycle. At the very least, he wouldn't have expected a response.

The driveway led to a two-car garage, which was open and empty. There were no tire tracks in the yard to indicate that a vehicle had driven out back. There were no other cars in sight.

The front door creaked open, the kind of sound that is heard in horror movies a thousand times over. Jack tensed, ready to run, or as the case may be, ride, away.

June Darby rushed down the steps, her ponytail flying behind her, and engulfed her son in an enormous hug. "OhthankGodyou'resafeIwassoworried!" she said, without taking a pause. If anything, she hugged him harder.

Jack gave in and hugged her back. There was no one around to see, so it wasn't like he had to play the "cool teenager" here. "Mom! I'm glad you're okay too, but how did you get here?"

June separated from their hug, and turned back towards the house. She made a small gesture towards the door. FBI Special Agent William Fowler stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. His head was turned upward, watching the skies. He gave Jack a nod, then caught June's eye and blushed. Resolutely, Fowler returned his gaze to the air.

She leaned close and whispered, "One of the Decepticons attacked my car. Bill flew in and saved me." She looked back at him and blushed herself.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Bill?"

June cleared her throat and said, "Yes, well." She cleared her throat again. "Let's go inside."

Agent Fowler spoke up as they neared him. "You might want to put that bike in the garage." He gave the sky a meaningful glare. "Wouldn't want anything to happen to it."

Jack nodded to him. "Got it." He wheeled Arcee into the spacious building.

"You know, Jack," she said, "This is the second time you've 'walked me home'."

In her mirrors, she saw a strange look cross his face. Human faces were so much more expressive than Cybertronians'. It appeared to be somewhere between anger and sadness. "This isn't 'home' Arcee."

"It is now."

3

Megatron stood in the _Nemesis' _medical bay, flexing his arm. It had been only a few hours since he lost it, but one could get surprisingly used to not having an arm in a surprisingly short period of time. Now, though, it was good to have it back.

"Well done Knockout!" he praised. "Unlike some, you never disappoint." He pointedly glared at Starscream, who hovered off to the side, the rightful place of a second-in-command. The Seeker ducked his head, as if he actually had any shame.

"I live to serve," Knockout said, giving a flamboyant bow.

"As do I, Lord Megatron!" the other was quick to put in. "And while we still have not located Prime-" here he put a bit of displeasure into his voice, actually sounding rather contrite, "- I do believe you will be pleased with the fruit of our labors."

They turned as the doors to the medical bay opened, allowing a pair of troopers to stalk in. They held their guns at the ready, careful around their commanders. Between them, they carried a large, unmoving mass. They dragged it across the floor, and dumped it in front of Megatron without ceremony. It lay there, leaking energon from the shattered stump of a limb. Metal skin, once a gleaming white, now charred and blackened, pitted with dents and blaster scars. The figure groaned pitifully, barely managing to raise its head.

Megatron grinned cruelly, and began to laugh. "The mighty Wrecker! Why, it is an _honor_ to finally meet you face to face! Tell me, do you feel like blowing up another energon mine, _Wheeljack_?"

The prisoner looked up. He coughed, then groaned out, "Do your worst, dirty Con."

Megatron's smile turned into a scowl. "Why so unpleasant? I simply wanted to extend our… _hospitality_," he snarled. "Knockout!"

The physician looked up when he heard his name.

"Patch his wounds. We don't want him to bleed out early. Then lock him up. See that he remains complacent." Megatron began to laugh softly. Wheeljack slumped to the ground at his feet. The faint laughter steadily grew into a manic howl, a mad sound of possessed humor that filled the halls of the _Nemesis_ and chilled the spark of everyone who heard.


	3. episode 1 scenes 4-6

4

Jack thought the afternoon shouldn't be so bright. Considering all that had been lost, he thought it an insult to the Autobots that the sun was even shining. It should be desolate, storming like the Biblical flood.

Instead it was warm, with a pleasant breeze that wafted through the open dining room windows, and the sun was shining through the leaves of the trees to dapple the floor with beautiful patterns. His mom had prepared a delicious lunch, his favorite (steak, potatoes, corn and beans) that nevertheless tasted like charcoal in his mouth. Her and Fowler sat across from him, having a conversation that seemed entirely too cheerful and intimate.

Jack pushed the food on his plate around, trying to work up an appetite, but the delicious smells only served to make him nauseous. At last he gave up, stood, pushed his chair in, and went to the living room. He didn't even bother to turn on the lights. Jack collapsed onto the couch, unsure if he was depressed or just tired.

A hand brushed his shoulder, and for a moment, he was five years old again, crying, unsure why his Daddy had left them all alone in a big house that now seemed so empty. His mom was there, with a hand on his shoulder, comforting him. Jack looked up into his mom's eyes and then it all returned, everything that had happened in the past few days.

"Jack?" she said. "Is everything all right?"

He took a shaky breath, not willing to cry. He was sixteen, almost seventeen years old, for God's sake. He couldn't cry. "Fine mom," he said. "Just…"

She looked down at her son. "You're worried about them, aren't you?" He nodded. "Jack, there's nothing you could've done differently. It's not as if you could have fought off the Decepticons yourself."

"Your mother's right, son," Fowler said. He walked in and sat on Jack's other side. "The hardest thing about war is admitting when there's nothing you can do. I know. I've been there."

Jack held his head in his hands. "I just wish-" He stumbled. "I just wish there was some way to know if the others are okay."

Fowler gave a half-smile. "That we can do," he said. He pulled a cell phone out of his back pocket. "Had Ratchet make this one a long while back. The call can't be traced from either end. Go ahead." He pushed the phone towards Jack. "Make a call."

He hesitated for a moment. Tentatively, Jack reached for the phone. He took it from Fowler, then got up. He walked off down the hall a little ways, hopefully out of earshot. Then he dialed the first number.

""Hello?"" came the voice from the other side. There was the barest hint of a Japanese accent.

"Hey, Miko," he said. "It's Jack. I-"

""DUDE!""she shouted in his ear, so loud he had to pull away slightly. She kept talking and he could "still" hear her. ""What took you so long? Me and Bulk have been waiting for like, forever!""

"I'm fine, thanks for asking by the way," he said, annoyed. "Just had to ride across country and hope my mother wasn't dead and I wouldn't be found by Decepticons, but I'm fine."

""Me too,"" she said, oblivious. ""So what now? We gonna storm their castle or what?""

"Nooooooo. We're going to stay put. And lay low."

""Hmmph. You've been hanging around Arcee too much," "Miko said. ""We need to fight back, kick some tailpipe!""

"I'd prefer not to die anytime soon, Miko," he snapped. "Which is what'll happen if we try anything."

""Right. Because you're not itching for payback.""

"Some other time. When we could actually win."

Showing all the naïveté of a two year old, she said, ""Good guys always win.""

He paused. "Not this time, we didn't."

""War's not over yet.""

He sighed. "Look. We barely got out of there alive. I haven't even called Raf yet to see if he's okay. Who knows if Optimus or Rachet even made it out. I don't want to go back in. and I don't want Arcee to go either."

""what? Your bike can't handle herself?"" Was that… jealousy? She kept talking.""And I talked to Raf a little while ago. He's fine.""

Jack was stunned. "You risked talking on a cell phone?"

""You're risking it right now."" She sounded confused.

"I'm on "Fowler's" phone! It's encrypted! "Your" phone "isn't"! They could've tracked you!"

""Oh.""

"Yeah. Oh." He paused. "All right. They might know where you're at. I suppose you'll have to come here. You know where "I'm" at?"

""No.""

"All right." Jack gave her the address. "Get here as soon as you can. I'll tell Raf the same."

""Okay,"" she said. ""See you then.""

He ended the call, wanting to punch something. She could be such an "idiot"sometimes. And she "never" listened. Jack sighed. Like it or not, she was part of the team, and that meant that he had to help her. Same with Raf.

He tapped another number into Fowler's cell, and then waited for it to connect. It rang once… twice… three times, then went to voicemail. He listened to Raf's voice tell him to leave a message at the beep, heard the "BEEP", and then said, "Hey, Raf. It's Jack. I just talked to Miko, and I think you should leave. As in, now. Her call might've led them to you. I'm using Agent Fowler's phone, and it can't be traced. I'm at-" he told Raf the address. "Get here quick, okay? Thanks." Then he hung up.

Jack walked back into the living room and handed the phone to Fowler. "How'd it go?" he asked.

Jack walked up the stair without a word.

5

Fire blazed over Omega Outpost One, all through the day and into the night. Perhaps they would never go out. Perhaps the Decepticons' weapon had so super-heated the rubble that it would never cool.

The Autobot's symbol, emblazoned so proudly on the floor, was stained with soot, streaked with ashes. The rubble had fallen around it, leaving it open to the air, but not unmarked.

Said piles of rubble and garbage littered the area, diminutive mountains of rock with metal tools and construction stuck out at every imaginable angle. The inferno clung to them, the rock turned red, the metal glowing white-hot.

Well away from the blaze, a tunnel burrowed into what remained of the mesa. Decepticon miners worked in relative silence, hauling away the wreckage, cutting into the tunnels, searching for things they may never find. Their only work light came from the fire and the stars that glowed in a moonless sky overhead.

Across the compound, in an area so treacherous the vehicons would not traverse it, a pile of ruins began to shift. First one boulder fell, then another, then two, then dozens. A figure, bent, battered, near dead, slowly rose from beneath it. A single silver limb fought for purchase on the shifting rubble, clawing desperately at the rock. Shadows flashed across the surface of its body, metal, but somehow unaffected by the heat as the refuse had been.

The being- robot- was hunched over, on its knees, as though searching for something. Its arm, no longer fighting gravity to keep it upright, instead began to shove aside the ruins that had imprisoned the mecha.

Within moments, the floor of the base was uncovered; a single object lay on the ground. The shattered fragment of metal bore little resemblance to any functional item. At a guess, it may once have been the handle to a sword. But no longer.

The mecha sighed, a decidedly masculine sound that did not match its grace and fluidity of movement at all. It- he- picked up the piece and affixed it to his back.

He stood, and with a smooth, supple movement, began to walk across the base. Firelight bounced off metal skin, forming strange patterns. His single arm swung freely, and from the shattered stump on the other side, electric blue liquid poured out onto the ground.

After what seemed like an eternity, he reached the far side of the floor. The robot reached out and began to push aside the boulders that had fallen near the wall. Despite his wounds, despite having only half if his strength, the mecha cleared away the debris, faster than almost any other could have without using a weapon.

He stared got a moment at the object that had lain beneath the rubble. Like himself, its color was gone, stripped away. What had once gleamed gold was now a dead, scorched silver. Still, it radiated power and majesty.

It was a large silver hammer.

A deep voice came from the robot, a voice that seemed to carry the weight of a million years, or more, a voice that held anger, bitterness, despair, and hope.

"The Forge of Solus Prime."

With a trembling hand, the mecha reached out and featured the shaft of the hammer. At his touch, it lit up a brilliant azure, brighter than the flames. For a long moment, the robot simply stood there, watching. Waiting. But nothing happened.

At long last, he heaved on the shaft, pulling the hammer up and over his shoulder. Its weight bore him down, down into his knees. But he did not stop there. Instead, with a clanking, coughing sound like a dead engine, the metal panels of his body began to rearrange themselves. It was not smooth, it was not clean. It was really almost painful. But after a long moment, the panels assumed a shape that seemed to be a semi truck, but not quite complete. The engine sputtered for a moment before finally turning over and starting. Slowly, so as not to cause a stall, the truck-shape drive forward into the desert.

Behind, sheltered in the tunnels, the Decepticon miners neither heard nor saw anything. They continued to cut into the rock, searching, searching...

6

Morning did not come to New Kaon. Instead, clouds obscured the day, and seemed to keep the tower in eternal night. It was an apt setting for the most despicable point on earth.

The throne overlooked the platform atop the fortress. It sat on a dais that, appropriately enough, gave one a God's-eye-view. Megatron lounged there, relaxing, watching.

The platform served as a staging area for the troops, the place where they were trained. It also served as a pit for gladiatorial competitions, a remnant from the old Kaon. One that he took great pleasure in overseeing.

While his thoughts wandered, Megatron never took his eyes of his treacherous second-in-command. Starscream was in the middle of drilling the troops. He was merciless, often using his weapons to keep the vehicons in line and on task. If one were too slow, he would receive an energon bolt to the back. The weaker ones would fall, and die trampled by the strong. Exactly as it should be.

Megatron permitted himself a glance upward as a patrol squadron flew by, heading for Jasper. Although the town "appeared" deserted, the Autobots who had escaped could easily hide there. What better place for them to be than right next door to the Decepticons?

As the squadron passed, the sky over New Kaon was lit by a flash of lightning. Thunder rolled over the citadel a moment later. A storm was coming. Megatron would be sure to post more guards. The Autobots may decide to use the weather as a distraction.

Almost undetectable, the slight sound of metal scraping metal reached his audio receptors. Only one cybertronian could be so quiet. Megatron didn't even have to turn around. "Soundwave. More volunteers?" When Megatron had denounced Optimus and the Autobots, Soundwave had broadcast his speech throughout the galaxy. Since then, vehicons and other Cybertronians had been arriving in droves through the space-bridge, eager to help conquer the Earth, pledging loyalty to the Decepticons.

But Soundwave shook his head. The silent mecha was not here because of new recruits. Megatron realized that he shouldn't have had to ask that. Protocol was in place, and did not require his consent. "What is it?" he asked.

Soundwave's faceplate shifted, and a string of Cybertronian text scrolled up, a message. A request. For a moment Megatron wondered if it could be denied. The origin point was from Cybertron itself, and a space-bridge would expend a great deal of energon opening a portal to traverse that distance.

Then Soundwave displayed an image of the sender. A single red eye glared out a Megatron, cold, calculating. Emotionless. Undeniable.

"Very well," he growled. "Send coordinates. After all, we wouldn't want to keep him waiting." For some reason he seemed to find that funny. Megatron threw back his head in a mad howl as another bolt of lightning split the sky, and thunder crashed around them.


	4. episode 1 scenes 7-9

7

Jack woke to the sound of thunder. It roared in his ears, louder and louder. He groaned and rolled over, covering his head with the pillow, waiting for it to _stop_.

When it finally _did_, the silence roused him more than the noise had. Groggily, he turned over, placing the pillow back under his head. He was unbelievably tired from riding, and the bed was so comfortable. But he couldn't stop his mind from racing.

Jack sighed. Sleep was_ not_ going to return to him now. Slowly, movement actually painful, he sat up in bed. Shirtless, the cool morning air made goose-bumps on his skin. But it felt good. Better than the heat of Decepticon blaster fire, or an energon explosion.

After a moment longer, he got out of bed and walked to his window. In Jasper, he'd had a view of the back of their neighbors' house, through a rusted chain-link fence. Now he looked out over the driveway, across the road, and through the trees that towered overhead. He studied the vista, all the different shades of green and brown that made up the forest, how they contrasted with the sharper colors of black and grey that made up the road, and the white of the house, and the emerald paintjob of the car sitting in the driveway, and the-

_Wait. Car in the driveway?_

There were no cars in the driveway. At least, there shouldn't have been. No one knew they were here. Who-

Behind him he heard a noise, one that he'd never actually had directed at him, but at the same time was unmistakable. A wolf-whistle.

Jack spun around so fast that his foot smashed against the bed frame. Placing it gently on the carpet and gritting his teeth so as not to scream, he tried his best to sound intimidating to the intruder. "Miko! What are you doing in here?"

She was leaning against the door frame, hiding in the shadow, like some street punk. She was also smirking with laughter at him and his actions. "Next time you decide to move, you might what to think about changing where you put your spare key. Just in case anyone tries to sneak in." She tossed the key to him then, and he easily snatched them out of the air.

"Miko, please get out of my room. I'd kind of like to get dressed."

She grinned and leaned back against the wall. "Why? Maybe I like the view."

Jack wasn't in the mood. "Out." He pointed down the hall.

She shrugged and walked out. But he noticed that she wasn't moving in any real hurry.

He found Miko downstairs with her upper body inside the fridge.

"Seriously? You couldn't have just sat in the living room?"

"Why?" she asked, still rummaging through the fridge. "I'm hungry. Am I not allowed to eat?"

She grabbed the egg carton out of the door and walked over to the stove. Jack couldn't help but stare. He had thought that something was different, but-

"Miko, what- what did you do to your hair?"

"Lost my ties."

Jack was trying to think clearly, but the hair was a surprisingly good distraction. It fell halfway down her back, strait, black with red highlights. "So… why didn't you go buy new ones?"

"Because," she said, raising her voice, "_Someone_ wouldn't let me go to the mall!"

At first he thought he was talking to her. Then Jack heard the sound of shifting metal plates that accompanied a Cybertronian transforming, and he realized what she meant.

Bulkhead knelt down by the house so that his head was next to the kitchen window. He looked… distressed.

"I told you Miko," his voice rumbled, "It's too dangerous. The Decepticons aren't hiding anymore, and I don't want a fight with a lot of humans around."

Miko put her hands on her hips, ready to contradict him. Jack knew that stance. It usually meant a long argument.

"Hey," he interrupted, "I think it looks pretty good."

"Me too. She smirked again. "That's why I kept it." She met his gaze for a while, staring directly into his eyes, more challenging than anything. But there seemed to be something else, something Jack couldn't put his finger on but that unsettled him. Bulkhead looked at both of them, then ducked away from the window.

"So," Miko said suddenly, turning back to the stove, "Where's your mom?"

He shook his head to clear it. "Agent Fowler had her go to Washington D.C. with him to help with the debriefing. They'll be back later."

Just as he said that, a horn honked out front. Miko glanced sideways. "Is that them?"

Jack frowned. "It can't be. They took the helicopter."

He walked up to the front door and peered through the glass. A very short figure stood outside on the front steps, a figure with with tall brown hair and glasses.

"Hey Jack, can I come in?" the voice was muffled.

He grinned and opened the door. "Raf! Glad you could make it!" Then he looked in the driveway. "What did you do to Bumblebee's paintjob?" The car was now black, with yellow highlights.

Raf walked into the house. "It's a long story," he said.

Jack closed the door. "We've got the time."

"Hey Raf!" Miko called from the kitchen.

"Hey," he said. "What's she doing?" he whispered to Jack.

"No idea," Jack whispered back. "Maybe cooking? Maybe she plans on poisoning us. I really don't want to know." Raf glanced at him sideways, like, _Really? _, and Jack realized how absolutely ridiculous that sounded.

"Let's go make sure she doesn't burn down your new house," Raf said, amused.

Outside, Bulkhead and Bumblebee drove around into the backyard. Arcee was already waiting there for them. The three of them transformed under the cover of the trees, stretching metal limbs like humans who had been in a cramped space too long.

"I haven't stayed so long in vehicle form since before I met Miko!" Bulkhead said. Bumblebee beeped in agreement.

Arcee nodded. "This is pretty bad. I've been trying to raise Optimus, Ratchet and Smokescreen on the comms, but not a word. We may be the only ones left."

Bee shook his head and let out a soft whistle, followed by a string of beeps so fast they could barely understand him.

"No," she said, "I don't think the humans can stop Megatron. Not even close.

"Nice stripes by the way," she said as an afterthought.

He beeped his thanks and stood a little straighter.

"Uh, guys?" Bulkhead pointed towards the sky. They turned.

In the distance, a helicopter was making its slow way towards the house. If they strained their audio receptors, they could pick up the sound of its rotors.

Bumblebee shifted into a defensive posture, drawing his stingers out of their housings.

"Wait," Arcee said, putting her arm out in front of him. The helicopter came closer, closer, until they could see the faces inside. After a moment, Bumblebee relaxed, putting up his guns. He beeped a welcome to the figures inside.

"Jack?" his mother's voice carried into the house.

"Hey! We're in the kitchen," he said. They were still waiting for the eggs. Miraculously, Miko _hadn't _set anything on fire. June and Agent Fowler walked in the room. His mom nodded to Raf, and then did a double take. "Miko! I didn't know you could cook!"

"We haven't tasted it yet," Jack put in, "So we don't actually know."

Miko promptly elbowed him in the gut.

Before he could catch his breath, Fowler stepped up. "Now that we're all here, I think we should have a… group discussion."

Seeing as Jack was sucking air and Miko was preoccupied, it was Raf who spoke for them. "Can we eat first? I'm kinda hungry."

June and Fowler exchanged amused looks.

An hour later they were gathered outside on the house's patio deck. Jack hadn't been out back yet and was surprised at how large the yard really was. There was the deck space, then a large swath of grass where Fowler had parked his helicopter, and beyond that was another _acre_ of trees, big ones that towered above the Autobots and hung over the grass.

And Bumblebee, Arcee, and Bulkhead weren't alone in the yard. The humans had been pleasantly surprised to see Ratchet and Smokescreen pull up and transform. When asked, the medic explained that they had followed Agent Fowler back from D.C., knowing they would find the others eventually.

At first, it had been like a party as the Bots had exchanged stories and caught up on their accounts of the previous few days. Then things took a darker turn. Smokescreen had blatantly asked Ratchet where Optimus was. It had been all downhill from there.

The others were stunned when Ratchet told them that he had left Optimus in the base. And even more so when the medic dejectedly stated that Optimus was most likely dead. Smokescreen got right in his face. "I can't believe you would just write him off like that! I thought he was your friend!"

The medic looked as dour as Jack had ever seen. His entire posture was of resignation and defeat. "I was. I-" his voice cracked. "If Optimus were still alive, he would have contacted us by now. The only possible explanation is that he has gone offline."

"Hold on," Arcee said, "We couldn't contact you. But you weren't dead."

"Actually, I think he's right," Fowler sighed. "The Cons blew up the whole base with some big über-cannon. Optimus probably bought it in there."

Smokescreen glared at Fowler. He was shaking, nearly apoplectic. He opened his mouth to argue-

"You… are wrong."

The voice, powerful and unwavering, resonated through the back yard. It comforted them; its deep tones drew them in, but at the same time filled them with sorrow and worry. It was a voice they had heard a million times before, always filled with emotion, whether it was concern, or anger, or gratitude. But they had never heard it here, and never had they heard it _weak_. And that was what made them turn.

There, by the house, leaning on the handle of a massive silver hammer, towered a metal colossus. His skin was charred black, gouged open, left ugly and colorless. One arm terminated in a severed, frayed stump that was leaking energon in a puddle. His face was half covered by a metal panel, and the other side was exposed, making it look as if his cheek had been ripped open. A bent sword hilt stuck out on his back, so it wasn't clear if he had been stabbed or was simply carrying a sword.

But one thing was clear. Even badly damaged, near death, ash and broken metal obscuring his features, the identity of the mecha standing there was unmistakable.

"Optimus?!"

8

The great Prime drew himself forward, slowly, metal creaking so loudly that they were astonished he had managed to avoid detection earlier. The Forge of Solus Prime dug into the grass, and its handle slipped from his grasp. With nothing supporting him, Optimus' knees buckled. He slid forward, slumping to the ground.

At last the stunned Autobots began to move, rushing forward to stop their leader's fall. Ratchet reached him first, angling him backwards, supporting the Prime's head on his knee. "Oh, Optimus. I never should have left you in there." The medic shook his head sadly. Suddenly, his optics blazed, and he looked directly into Optimus' face. "How in the name of Primus did you even survive?"

The others watched solemnly as Optimus tried to lift his arm up, but he could not. The limp fell back, to lie across his chest. After a moment, he spoke. "The Star Saber… I had raised it to destroy the bridge… as it swung down…" he faltered for a moment, then resumed, his voice growing weaker. "Megatron's weapon… the beam… it broke the ceiling… the sword… the sword absorbed it…"

Ratchet drew in a breath. "That much power would have overloaded even the Star Saber."

Optimus nodded. "The explosion… forced me into the wall… I… I don't remember after- until I awakened under the rubble…" He looked down. "My arm… my arm was not there…" He again tried to raise the other limb.

Ratchet pushed it back down, then gently lowered his leader's body to the ground. "Easy. You've lost a lot of energon." The medic withdrew a toolbox from his back storage. He took out a monitor, and placed medical leads onto Optimus' body. The screen glowed, and then began to crisscross with shifting lines. One sputtered across the display irregularly. Ratchet looked up at the others. "He needs a transfusion. Immediately."

The Autobots exchanged glances, then all held out their arms. Ratchet looked them over as he took a syringe from the tool kit. "Arcee, no. Too small. Too important. The rest of you, line up."

Smokescreen stepped forward first. Ratchet placed the needle in the crook of his servo. As the vial filled, the younger bot's frown deepened. After a moment he looked up at the medic and said, "I- I'm sorry."

The medic paused for a moment, then nodded. "Bumblebee," he said, "You're next."

He worked quickly, drawing as much energon as he dared from the others. Four injections later, Ratchet stopped to check the monitor, but nothing had changed. The lines remained dim and erratic. "Blast!" he slammed a fist into the ground, making a crater in the soft earth. "His levels are too faint. I'm going to have to induce stasis."

They all looked at each other, alarmed, even the humans. "You can fix him, right Ratch?" Miko asked. "You fixed Bulkhead, so you can fix Optimus, too, right?"

The medic shook his head. "Without a proper sickbay, his chances are slim." He suddenly swung his fist around, smashing a tree to splinters. The other Autobots backed away, shocked.

"Ratchet?" Arcee asked. Bumblebee beeped his concern.

"I am fine," he said. "But I am not used to feeling so helpless." Ratchet swiftly returned to Optimus' side, where he pulled another device out of the tool kit. He placed the end of a hose onto Optimus' chest, over his spark. He was about to activate the machine when Optimus abruptly grabbed the medic's arm.

"Wait," he said. "There is something-" he broke off, coughing. "There is something I need to do." He paused for a moment, breathing raggedly. "Jack." The boy looked up, directly into the optics of the Autobot leader. "Jack, come here." He shuffled closer, uncertain. He was standing to Optimus' right, so he could see the shattered stump of the mecha's arm. Jack's throat tightened. This was his fault. _Their_ fault. The Decepticons had won when they captured him and Miko and Raf. He knew Optimus would never say it, but that was the truth. He looked down again, ashamed.

"Jack," Optimus said, "Take this." He looked up to see that Optimus had shifted, just a little, so the he could hold out his hand to Jack. In his hand was a bit of metal, a small piece of intricate design, delicate looking, that now that he thought about it looked extremely familiar-

"The Key to Vector Sigma?" Jack asked, "Why? The stasis won't affect your memories, will it?"

"No," the mecha rasped. "I want you to-" he coughed, falling back against the dirt. He groaned, unable to turn back over. Optimus' head turned towards Jack. "I want you to take it… as a symbol of your leadership." His optics closed.

"What?" Jack shouted, horrified.

"Lead them well," Optimus murmured.

"Optimus!" Jack shouted. Ratchet twisted the hose, activating the stasis mechanism. Optimus' body relaxed; his optics reopened and constricted. Except for the steady _BEEP Beep BEEP Beep _of the spark monitor, he might have been dead. All of them, Autobots and Humans alike, gathered solemnly around their fallen leader.

9

_A storm is coming_, Megatron thought. He sat upon his throne, high above the platform, as thunder and lightning crashed overhead. He was not simply lounging, but sitting erect, postured with excitement and anticipation.

To either side stood his lieutenants, Starscream to the right, Soundwave to the left. Below them was nothing, the platform temporarily deserted in preparation for "his"arrival. Below the dais, a bank of computers had been assembled, monitored by only a scant few vehicons. They were there for the sole purpose of giving Megatron control.

To the Decepticon leader's left, a new message began to play across Soundwave's face plate. Megatron read it, every moment bittersweet as the events played out to their inevitable conclusion. He growled softly, then commanded, "Send coordinates."

The vehicons fingers flickered across keypads, sending the message into the cosmos, to be retrieved by "him". Megatron shifted slightly, edging closer to the front of his seat. His back no longer touched the back of the throne.

After several long, tense moments, moments in which even the weather became unnaturally silent, moments where the vehicons cast worried looks at one another wondering who would be blamed if anything went wrong, moments in which Megatron felt his spark would pulse right out of his chest from the overwhelming "feeling"of the events- after those moments, the space at the far side of the platform ripped open.

A pinprick of glowing blue-green energy hovered in the air between the spires of New Kaon. Then it erupted into a blazing vortex of swirling rainbow light, a hypnotic dance of colors that left observers dazzled, and added a certain majesty to the proceedings. The vortex narrowed into a tunnel that seemed to extend forever, but was obscured by a curtain of light. From behind that curtain,"he" appeared, and even Megatron was awed.

The massive purple mecha strode through the space-bridge as if he hadn't a care in the world, as if he owned the universe, as if nothing could ever threaten him. As if he didn't remember being caught in a space-bridge explosion a mere three years prior.

His colossal arm cannon swung freely at his side, and his single red eye glared at everything, taking it all in and filing the information for later use.

The Cyclops walked forward into the center of the room, and for a moment simply stood there. His entire presence, completed by the open vortex in his background, defied any authority. For a moment. At last, he knelt, acknowledging the true power here. "Lord Megatron."

He grinned, shifting further ahead on his throne. The name hissed from between gritted teeth, a necessary evil. "Shockwave…"

The purple mecha rose again, staring at the Decepticon leader. "I hear that you had trouble recently. I wonder why you did not seek my aid."

Megatron had prepared for such a question from the moment he read Shockwave's first message. In fact, the battle-ready scientist had been all but forgotten, indeed, assumed dead. But that was not what he would say. There was a time to be diplomatic, and that time was now.

"It seemed logical to let you be, and not allow the Autobots to discover that we held such a strategic advantage."

The other nodded. "Indeed," he said, never one to mince words, "Would your lieutenants be so wise." The single red eye turned to Starscream, who grimaced and shrunk back into the shadows.

Megatron growled, not wanting to waste time on such idle drivel. "Shockwave! Recall your place. You have yet to tell us why you are here. What was so urgent that you must waste the energon that you are?" He gestured to the open space-bridge.

Shockwave was the only Decepticon who would not be cowed by Megatron's wrath. He was the only one who would dare to avoid answering such an obvious question. Instead, he gestured theatrically. "Despite your obvious victory, the Autobots continue to resist you. They may be scattered, hiding, but they will plague you just the same. You have a planet to rule, Megatron," he said, adding a slight undercut to his voice, "And you cannot afford the time to hunt them down."

"Get on with it!" Megatron snarled. "Why do you chatter so? Do you have a solution?" He sneered the question, not expecting the scientist to be able to contribute anything. In Megatron's opinion, Shockwave was past his pinnacle.

But then Megatron fell back into his seat, stunned. "I have a solution," Shockwave said.

Having suitably grabbed his audience's attention, the purple mecha made a grand sweeping motion with his arm. "These, Megatron, are the fruits of my labors. Bred in the laboratory, cloned from fossilized remains, I present to you, my liege, the ultimate Autobot hunter…"

As Shockwave spoke, the space-bridge behind him began to shift. The vortex spun, and from behind the screen of light emerged an enormous clawed limb. Skeletal, dangerous, powerful; its sudden appearance caused every standing Decepticon but Shockwave to take a slight step backwards. Starscream looked ready to run as a second limb emerged, just as emaciated as the first, followed by a third, and a fourth, all attached to an equally massive but gaunt body. Behind that came the tail, long and whipping, tipped with a colossal scythe-like blade.

The beast prowled forward, lithe as a puma, hissing with menace. Megatron anxiously leaned forward, desperate to take in the splendor of the monster that now stalked across his citadel, watching with equal parts revulsion and excitement. It flexed its shoulders, unfurling massive bat-like wings, thin sheets of metal held rigid by skeletal servos. The beast threw back its head…

And _roared_.

That roar caused shivers to trace up and down Megatrons Cybertronian spine. It was the howl of a monster, like a soul dying, the primal wail of beasts long forgotten. It touched the deepest part of Cybertronian psyche, caused the most primitive emotions to surface… Raw terror.

_The storm is here_, Megatron thought gleefully, and began to laugh manically. The weather ceased its silence, breaking into huge claps of thunder and enormous bolts of lightning. Wind howled through the fortress' spires, and rain lashed against metal as though the Earth was trying to rip out the Cybertronian intrusion.

Shockwave's face, dominated by his eye, was incapable of expressing emotions. In fact, Shockwave did not have emotions, and all who had heard his name knew it. But all there on his arrival to Earth swore they heard pride in his voice as he proclaimed the beast's name.

"...Predaking."

**A/N: Wow! Sorry this took so long guys! But I forgot my rough draft at school over spring break :(**

**So, first episode completed! I promise that episode two will be a lot more exciting. Although, I think this last part made up for all the boring parts. Please review!**


	5. preview

**A/N: So, I have a lot of notes and crap for this fic, and I want to share it with you. We'll start with an episode list:**

1-53) Predacon Rising Part 1: The scattered members of Team Prime regroup, while Predaking and Shockwave arrive on Earth.

2-54) Predacon Rising Part 2: Team Prime rescues Wheeljack and faces Predaking for the first time.

3-55) Predacon Rising Part 3: Team Prime battle the Decepticons at New Kaon to stop Predaking.

4-56) The Alliance Part 1: A devastating attack on New Kaon unveils a threat to all Cybertronians, and their allies.

5-57) The Alliance Part 2: Strange revelations surround the mysterious new group, as both sides scramble to adapt to the new situation.

6-58) Opportune Moment: Spies destabilize the Decepticons and provide Team Prime with a golden opportunity.

7-59) Wild Card: A pair of rogues are welcomed into the Decepticons while Team Prime searches for the Alliance's home.

8-60) Familiar Faces: A crash brings new Autobots to Earth, and Team Prime must acclimate them to society as well as protect them from the Decepticons.

9-61) Total War: A simple skirmish between scouts devolves into a three-way battle, and no side is pulling punches.

10-62) Resurrection: Predaking returns with an army of Predacons, while Team Prime seeks a truce with the Alliance

11-63) Shadowed Web Part 1: The Predacon threat forces the Alliance to reconsider a truce with Team Prime.

12-64) Shadowed Web Part 2: Predaking allies with the Decepticons, and the resulting battle causes the US government to turn on all Cybertronians.

13-65) Into the Future: To keep them from despair, Optimus tells Team Prime the legend of the Original Thirteen.

14-66) Supremacy: Predaking betrays the Decepticons, and a recovered Optimus wields the Star Saber against Ripclaw in the first true battle.

15-67) Edge of Chaos: A distraught Predaking descends into the Earth through the volcano that erupted Dark Energon.

16-68) Royal Decree: The Decepticons retake New Kaon, while Team Prime learns of a refuge for Cybertronians on a distant planet.

17-69) Other Forces: Former Predacons with dinosaur alternate forms join Team Prime, and Soundwave steals a powerful tool from Predaking.

18-70) Trial and Error: Shockwave tries to create new super-soldiers for the Decepticons, while Team Prime starts to talk with the Cybertronian colony.

19-71) The Risen King: Megatron launches his final offensive to conquer Earth, while Predaking returns to the surface.

20-72) Desperation: The Decepticons try to flee to Cybertron, with Team Prime in pursuit, but Predaking won't allow them to leave.

21-73) Gears of War: Optimus and Predaking engage in a final, climactic battle in Washington, D.C. to determine the survival of three worlds.

**If anybody has other ideas they want me to incorporate, drop a review and I'll discuss it with my editors (myself and my friend). Here's a list of new characters (that I know for sure will be included):**

Autobots

Ironhide and Springer: the twins, newer generation, rough and tumble Jock-types

Kup: oldest Wrecker of them all, Wheeljack's mentor, still able to kick tailpipe

Perceptor: scientist, theoretician, loyal and unwavering

Ultra Magnus: leader of the Wreckers, captain of the new crew, all around bad ass

Blaster: Autobot version of Soundwave, except he actually talks. And has a face

Decepticons

Cylas: yes, I'm bringing him back

Airachnid: yep, her too. I have plans for this bitch.

Blitzwing: one of Shockwave's experiments, used Dreadwing's DNA, inherited his loyalty

Astrotrain: another experiment, but not as refined, called "the Driller", use your imagination

The Constructicons: Hightower, Longhaul, Scrapper, Bonecrusher, Scavenger, Mixmaster; they form Devastator, a mix of his movie and G1 forms

The Alliance

Liege Maximo: leader. Big secret here, read episode 4 when it comes out.

Chromia: former seeker, right hand gal, turns into a Cessna airplane

Flareup: left hand gal, newer generation, turns into a jetski

Polaria: one of my OC's, my own name too. Strika-like personality. Turns into a mag-lev train and manipulates magnetism

Sunstreaker: Knockout's former friend, was never a Decepticon because he hates purple, shares all non-creepy character traits of Knockout and the same vehicle mode

Sideswipe: former jet vehicon. Melee combat specialist

Sideways: former ground vehicon, gun-happy, fights like the War Machine in Iron Man 2

Piston: another of my OC's, has the same alt-mode as Bulkhead, has a thin robot mode, uses jackhammers in his forearms as weapons, decidedly creepy personality

Interceptor: my friend's OC. The Alliance's scout, point man, second in command, most loyal soldier; his default robot form earned him the nickname "archangel", and his default alt-mode is a type of plane. He is a descendant of Amalgamous Prime, like a character seen early in season 1

Jazz: a combination of movie Jazz and movie Jolt with G1 Jazz personality, a convertable alt-mode

Prowl: basically his G1 self, cop car alt-mode

Evac: kind of like movie Blackout and Grindor, helicopter alt-mode

Mirage: sneaky spy who has camo skin that can change colors, an impossibly thin robot mode, a smart car alt-mode

Jetfire: combo of G1 Silverbolt with his movie self; turns into a freaking Osprey heli-plane

Jetstorm: Jetfire's twin. 'Nuf said.

Predacons

Predaking: duh.

Ripclaw: Predaking's second in command and mate. Turns into a dragon.

Scorpinok: combo of Beast Wars version and movie version.

Rampage: soldier, turns into a manticore.

Grimlock: duh.

Swoop: duh.

Snarl: triceratops

Noble: Griffin

**That's all the new characters. But if you have an idea for an Alliance member or Predacon, send me a review.**

**And finally, just some terms that will be important in season 3:**

Velocitron

The Forge of Chaos (post your guess of what this us in a review)

The Skyboom Shield

jealousy (also, try to guess on this one. who its over. who its between)

Dark Energon

Cybonic Plague


	6. episode 2 scenes 1-4

Transformers Prime Season 3  
Episode 2/54: Predacon Rising

**A/N: So, part one of episode 2. Review, please?**

1

_BEEP beep_. _BEEP beep_. _BEEP beep_.

The yard was silent but for the steady metronome of the spark monitor. No wind, no thunder. No birds chirping or insects rustling. No talking.

No breathing.

Optimus Prime- leader of the Autobots, bane of the Decepticons, the greatest warrior of Cybertronian history- lay on the ground in the garden of a remote country home in the Northeastern United States, as close to death as anyone could be without having gone over the edge. His metal skin was dull and charred, and absent of all color. His arm was missing, ending in a stump that had only just stopped leaking. And across his entire body, great gouges were present where he had been nearly crushed by a mountain of rock.

The only thing keeping him alive was the stasis device on his chest. That device, along with the spark monitor, had been put in place by the Autobot's medical officer, Ratchet, who now knelt by his leader's prone form. Standing further away were the rest of the Autobots. Had they been capable, they would've been sobbing. Behind the Autobots stood the human members of Team Prime- Rafael Esquivel, Miko Nakadai, June Darby, Special Agent William Fowler, and Jack Darby.

Jack himself stood apart from the others. He felt the burden of Optimus' fate more than any of the others. Partly because he still thought it was his fault. Mostly because of what Optimus had said right before Ratchet placed him in stasis. _Lead them well,_ he had said. But Jack did not feel like a leader.

In his hand he held the Key to Vector Sigma, the delicate bit of metal that was basically the Primes' version of a USB drive for their memories. The last time he had held it, Optimus had joined the Decepticons as Orion Pax. He had used it to restore Optimus' mind and brought their leader back. Now though…

Now it was a symbol. Not of leadership, as Optimus had said. It was a symbol of everything that was just _wrong_ about this situation. The Decepticons in charge, Optimus in stasis, and a human _child_ of all people replacing the Prime, and he had _no idea what he was doing_. The wheels in Jack's mind were turning so fast that it felt like he was going to explode. His throat felt dry, and his heart felt like it was seizing up. _I can't do this_, he thought.

"I can't do this," he said aloud. Heads turned, all but Ratchet. They were looking at _him_, like they wanted _him_ to tell them what to do, even his mom, even Miko, who never listened anyway. He couldn't take it. "I can't be your leader!" he practically shouted.

From Optimus' side, Ratchet spoke, his voice barely above a whisper at first, but it steadily grew louder. "Regardless of what you, or anyone believes," he said, "We will not go against Optimus' wishes." The medic turned to face Jack, his eyes filled with passionate fire. "Optimus appointed you leader. _You will lead_," he hissed.

"No!" he said. Jack hung his head. "No," he murmured. He turned away- away from the stares of his friends, away from the duty he had been handed, away from his destiny. He began to walk towards the house, every step feeling as if it added ten pounds of weight to his shoulders. Behind him, he heard Ratchet growl in disgust, and he felt shame. But he kept going.

Although Jack didn't see it, Miko and Arcee both moved forward, starting to go after him. They stopped when June put out her hand. Miko stopped out of annoyance, ready to mouth off to her. Arcee stopped out of respect. June turned, and her eyes shone with un-wept tears. "He needs time," she said. "I'll talk to him when he's ready."

Arcee nodded, understanding that her partner was in shock. Miko huffed in anger, and stomped off towards the trees.

2

SSSHRNK!

Massive claws ripped through armor like tissue paper. The wearer fell back, leaking energon, while the monstrosity that had wounded him turned to face another opponent, quite literally roaring with rage. Teeth met limb, and with a quick twist the new enemy was dismembered. The beast sensed another sneaking up behind it. A tail lash later, and the foe collapsed, clutching his insides as they spilt out of a gash across his stomach. It turned about, searching, wanting to continue to fight, to claw, to rip limb from limb as glorious hot energon spurted from wounds, wanting-

A voice, deep and commanding, resonated across the battlefield. The master's voice. The voice that must be obeyed. "Enough!"

The "battlefield" was actually the gladiator pit atop New Kaon. The opponents were insecticon warriors. The master was Megatron. And the beast was Predaking. Shockwave stood by the throne watching the fight with only a casual interest. The Decepticon leader was not surprised. No doubt the scientist had run test after test like this on Cybertron, preparing the beast. He would not have come to Earth if he hadn't known his creation was ready. Now, Megatron was satisfied of the same.

At his voice, the beast cowed and stood as straight as possible on four legs, furled his wings, and waited patiently for the next command. Megatron was impressed. If that kind of obedience could be programmed into all his soldiers...

Choosing not to voice that opinion, he instead launched himself off the dais, and landed crouched in front of Predaking. To his credit, the beast never flinched. Behind him, Megatron heard a loud clang as Shockwave followed him. Without turning, he said, "The beast was not brought here simply to fight Autobots, Shockwave, but to hunt them down." He growled menacingly. "You have yet to explain how this feat will be accomplished, and we have wasted several hours already." The other simply stared, the single red eye unnerving. "Well?" Megatron asked after a moment.

Once again, Shockwave did not answer directly, a habit that was beginning to annoy Megatron. If it persisted, he might give Starscream an opportunity to... recondition their guest.

Or perhaps he wouldn't. Shockwave was still necessary, after all.

In either case, the scientist bent over and picked up a piece of insecticon armor. He held the energon soaked bit of metal under the beast's snout, then threw it the length of the pit.

Predaking leapt, unfurling his great wings and gliding forward before crashing down on the armor. He began to tear at it, savaging it, reducing it to mere scraps.

After a moment, Shockwave spoke. "The system is techno-organic in nature. Predaking can track the Autobots by the underlying chemical signature of their energon. While it is common between all Autobots, it is not shared by Decepticons. To him, it registers as a… rather foul odor."

Megatron grinned. "So," he said, "All we require is an Autobot energon sample-"

"-And Predaking will hunt them to the edges of the universe," Shockwave finished.

Megatron's Cheshire smile grew wider as he began to chuckle. "I believe we have your sample."

Energon shackles wrapped around each of the prisoner's remaining limbs, suspending him in front of the door to the cell. His leg terminated just above the knee, with only a small patch preventing him from bleeding out. His optics were barely open, and had the glazed look of someone near death. Scars ran across his chest, massive wounds that had only recently been welded shut again, and would still be painful.

He barely raised his head as the cell door opened. Long ago, he had been in a similar situation, and the Decepticons had failed to secure his legs. Back when he had both legs. He moaned as pain rippled up from his stump.

Back then, he had grabbed the vehicon when it threatened him, and used its blaster to fry the shackle controls. _Can't do that anymore_, he thought. He was stuck here. No doubt the door opening meant Starscream was coming back to torture him again.

He felt a tapping between his optics, and he managed to look up. Knockout stood in front of him, and the hand that was moving away meant that the mad doctor was the one who had been tapping him, and was the one who had just entered the room. He groaned, knowing what that meant.

"Wakey wakey, Autobot," the Decepticon said, mockingly. He chuckled. The prisoner started to struggle, throwing his weight around, trying to get free. Knockout just laughed. "Come now, Wheeljack! No need for that! Behave and I might just throw in a good word with the big guy! You could be out of those shackles and sitting in a nice warm cell if you cooperate, doesn't that sound nice?" The sarcasm in his words was so thick it could've been cut with a sword. The Wrecker just snarled in response.

Knockout shrugged. "Have it your way, then." He picked up the syringe from the shelf nearby and fitted it with a vial. The Wrecker's struggles grew weaker as the doctor returned. He was already weak from lack of energon, and they kept withdrawing more. Megatron had sentenced him to a slow, painful starvation.

Knockout jabbed the needle into Wheeljack's servo, and the vial quickly filled with energon. He took it from the syringe and waved it in front of the Wrecker. "The Decepticons thank you for your contribution!" he said, before Wheeljack's optics slid shut.

The doctor turned away, having had his fun. He walked out of the cell, then locked it, just in case. Knockout strode off down the corridor, and rounded the corner.

And almost ran smack into Soundwave. The silent mecha never uttered a sound, though he tilted his blank face down to glare at the doctor. Knockout, on the other hand, was quite vocal about his indignation. "Hey! Watch the decals!" He brought up a hand, almost prepared to strike the other, before he remembered what happened to Airachnid. That was a situation he did not want to find himself in.

"Erm…" Knockout hesitated. "Was there… something you needed, Soundwave?"

Slowly, the mecha brought up a claw. His long, thin finger pointed to the container in Knockout's hand. The doctor was confused. "This? This is the Autobot's energon. I was just taking it to storage. Lord Megatron's orders, of course," he added hastily.

Soundwave continued to point at the vial, apparently not understanding. Knockout was getting quite ticked off at the whole exchange. "Speak up, why don't you? What do you want with this energon anyhow?"

Soundwave's screen flickered, then displayed an audio file. "_Lord Megatron's orders_," Knockout heard his voice say. With that, the silent mecha reached out at plucked the energon from Knockout's hands. The doctor stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do, as Soundwave strode off. He was extremely confused. And not at all certain that he wanted things to be clarified. He just might not like what he heard.

3

The view out his window hadn't changed much in the last few hours. Oh, sure, it was brighter out and Bulkhead was no longer parked in the driveway, but other than that it looked exactly the same as this morning.

Jack rubbed his eyes. Had it really only been this morning? With everything going on it had felt more like days since Miko had been standing at his door, annoying the living daylights out of him-

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

And now she was back to do it more. Jack sighed, and wondered if Optimus had ever had to deal with someone like her. He wondered if Arcee had ever been like her. For a moment, the image of Arcee was replaced with an image of Sadie, Arcee's holoform. The image of Sadie blurred with the image of Miko. Jack started to feel a little odd..._ Whoa!_ he thought, _Hold it right there. Just… no._ He shook his head. That was a thought that he really did not want to pursue any further.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Jack sighed. "Come in," he said. He was sure that her chatter would start up any moment. He'd get annoyed, and snap, she'd be hurt, and he'd be out of a friend.

Finally, he turned around to face her. He might as well get it over with.

It wasn't Miko. That was a surprise. It was his mom. She looked like she was almost ready to cry. For a moment, June was quiet. At last, she took a shaky breath, and started to speak.

"When you were born… I didn't want you to be born."

Jack looked up. That was something you neither expected nor wanted to hear from your mother.

Seeing the look on his face, she said, "Hear me out Jack. I was young. I wasn't ready to be a mother. And then your dad died…" She broke off, tears welling in her eyes. For several seconds June tried to suck in her breath, at last managing to fill her lungs and continue. "It was hard. I was never sure if- if I was doing the right thing. If I was being too strict, or holding you back. I wasn't sure…" June trailed off again. For a moment she bowed her head, gathered herself. Then she looked up, and stared directly into Jack's eyes. "But now I know. I know that _something_ went right, because you have turned out to be every bit the man your father was, and more. Jack, Optimus asked you to lead. And he was right to. I certainly can't. Bill has his own work to do. And the others… Jack," she said, "From what I've seen, you are more capable than any of them."

"Mom, I'm only sixteen," he protested.

She smiled. "When has that ever been a problem? You've been through more- you've done more- than a lot of people do in their entire lives. And now…" June sighed. "I can't force you Jack. But I am your mother, and it's my right to tell you exactly what I think. And… I think Optimus was right."

She smiled at him one more time, then leaned in and kissed his forehead. Jack looked back out the window as she walked out of the room.

The backyard was as quiet as ever, only the sound of the spark monitor to break the silence. The Autobots were all still gathered around their fallen leader, holding vigil as the sun sank down, while Miko, Raf, and June sat at a table by the porch. Though they hadn't eaten since the late breakfast, none of the humans complained of hunger. They had no appetite. The air was heavy, oppressive. The entire world was holding its breath.

The back door of the house swung open with a quiet _creak!_ and they all looked up. Jack stood on the porch, barely outside of the house. He looked like he might bolt back inside at any moment. At last, he took a breath, and walked to the railing.

"Guys?" he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. Jack cleared his throat and tried again. "Guys?"

His mom looked up and smiled, while Miko crossed her arms defiantly, and Raf glanced up with hope in his eyes. The Autobots, even Ratchet, got up and walked over to stand in front of him. _His troops._

For a moment, he looked down, unsure. But his voice was steady.

"I'm no Optimus-"

"That's for sure," Bulkhead snorted. Miko hissed in annoyance, and he shut up.

Jack tried again. "I'm no Optimus. I don't have his experience. I've never been a leader, or even a soldier. I'm still just a kid." He paused, then looked up. His eyes burned intensely, and he stood up strait. "But Optimus asked me to lead you. And if he was willing to give his life to save ours, I can't do less."

Arcee smiled, while Bumblebee let out a whine of approval. Bulkhead nodded at him.

"I will always listen to you, ask for your input, because you guys do have the experience. I owe it to Optimus to do my best. I owe to him, and to you. To the memory of your guys' planet. Cybertron."

Ratchet hung his head, remembering how he had berated Optimus over the Omega Lock's destruction.

"Arcee told me that this is our home now. Ours. Mine, and yours. And we should fight to defend it. The Decepticons have no place on Earth."

"Yeah!" they cheered, and Jack felt a glow. Maybe he _would_ be able to make it up to Optimus. Somehow. His mom came up and gave him a hug. "I'm so proud of you," she said. When she let him go, someone punched his arm. He looked over and saw Miko standing there.

"Not bad, Fearless Leader," she said. "You should run for president next."

Jack looked around, and realized that someone was missing. "Where's Agent Fowler? Did he go back to D.C.?"

June nodded.

"Actually, he went to get me a computer."

Jack turned around. "What do you mean Raf?"

The young genius adjusted his glasses, the way he always did when he was nervous. It was understandable. Everyone was suddenly looking at him.

"Weeeeeell," he said, "I left mine back in Jasper. And I need one."

Jack exchanged glances with his mom and Miko. "What for?"

"So we can hack the Decepticon mainframe."

They all jumped a little. They hadn't heard Ratchet speak since the morning.

"You all remember when we split up to go after four Iacon relics?" They nodded. "Rafael and I placed a virus into Soundwave's drone around that time. If we can gain access to a computer, Rafael may be able to get inside of their computers, providing us with valuable intelligence."

Jack nodded. "And giving us the advantage."

"Precisely," Ratchet said.

4

Jasper, Nevada had never been a thriving metropolis. At best, it had been a small town. But now, now it was a ghost town, in the truest sense of the phrase. Empty buildings lined streets pockmarked by laser fire, and stray breezes blew tornados of dust through abandoned homes. Low, dark clouds hung over the desert landscape, another storm threatening to break.

A low rumble- not thunder, it was too even- broke the silence. It grew into a roar that could have shattered eardrums as a fighter jet flew low over the forsaken town. The sonic boom passed by, its force shattering windows, and blowing up new clouds of dust. The jet soared past the last buildings, having suitably ruined the houses, and roared into the desert. On the horizon, the spires of the Decepticon fortress grew higher and wider, until the entire tower was visible. The jet flew strait to the tower.

But it did not land. The aircraft preformed an impossible stunt, flying strait up just inches from the surface of New Kaon. In seconds, the super-sonic flyer reached the platform atop the tower, maneuvering between the enormous spires.

At the apex of its flight, the fighter broke apart. Metal plates shifted; wires and servos rearranged and reformed. As it changed, it fell, gracefully dropping to the platform below. When it landed it was no longer a jet. It was a thin humanoid shape the size of a building, and it bowed in submission.

"Lord Megatron," it- he- said, "Your humble servant returns."

The Decepticon leader sat on his throne, once again merely lounging on it, waiting for excitement. This did not qualify. "Get on with it, Starscream," he sighed.

The seeker straightened, brushing a speck of imaginary dust from his armor. "The town is abandoned, just as we suspected. No sign of Autobots or humans. I think that we should not waste energon on further patrols."

"So be it," Megatron replied. "And your search for the body of Prime?"

Starscream gulped. He had hoped to not discuss _that_ particular issue. "Well…" he coughed. "We have found nothing. And nearly the entire base has been excavated."

Megatron sat up. "Then Optimus lives." Megatron cackled. "I shall extinguish him yet. Or perhaps I will allow our new hunter to bring me his spark," he mused.

"Yes," Starscream said with disdain. "The hunter." With just a hint of nervousness, he asked, "Where is it now?"

"That is not your concern," Megatron growled. "I have a special mission for _you_, my disciple."

For once, sarcasm was missing from the seeker's voice as he volunteered, "Your wish is my command, my liege."

The Decepticon leader nodded. "We require as much power as we can acquire if Prime is still alive. I want you to lead a troop to Cybertron."

"What in the name of the Allspark for?" Starscream asked. "There is nothing there."

"There is. The Autobot's weaponry."

Starscream thought for a moment. "Yes, I recall, they did not retrieve their Iacon artifacts after the-" He paused, searching for the correct word. "The incident."

"Find them," Megatron commanded. "For the glory of the Decepticon cause!"

"For the glory of _Cybertron_," Starscream said, saluting.

Directly below Megatron's throne, a door opened, and a dozen seeker-vehicons marched out in formation. They turned, saluted Megatron, then turned again and saluted Starscream. The air commander returned the salute. Then, in a glorious reversal of what had happened only moments earlier, he leapt into the air and transformed into fighter mode. His troop did the same.

Across the platform, a swirling vortex opened in between the spires of New Kaon. The squadron's engines roared, and they flew through the space-bridge, disappearing in a dazzling flash of light.

**A/N: Oh my God oh my God oh my God! What next? How much more powerful can old Megs get? Predaking, New Kaon, Iacon artifacts. Tell me you're not getting bored.**

**Oh, and, I have an idea for a poll: when Optimus comes back (don't worry, he won't croak yet), should there be a problem between him and Jack over leadership?**

**Lastly: I would like to remind you, my readers, to review! Not just compliments, but suggestions and criticisms too. How else can I make this awesomer?**


	7. episode 2 scenes 5-8

5

When Jack woke up in the new house for the second time, he was beyond confused. First of all, it was only the second time he'd woken up there; added to that was the fact that he'd fallen asleep on the couch. On top of everything else, he wasn't sure why he'd woken up. And even on top of that was the totally uncomfortable position he woke up in- using Miko as a pillow. Jack quickly got up, careful not to wake her. He didn't want to hear her complain, or worse, use that weird innuendo that she had been lately. It was kind of creepy.

Jack heard footsteps in the hallway, and he remembered that the door had slammed. That was what had woken him. He walked over to the living room doorway, careful to stay out of sight, ready to trip whoever the intruder was, hoping that he could buy his friends time to get out. He tensed up…

"Wake up, Sleepin' Beauty!" Agent Fowler burst into the room, so quickly that Jack was unable to react, and he looked more pissed off than Jack had ever seen, even the first time, when Arcee and Bumblebee had fought those two vehicons in public.

In an instant, Miko was up on her feet. Raf, on the other end of the couch, took a little longer, and looked tired. Miko, on the other hand looked wide awake. Fowler walked over to Raf and shoved a laptop into his hands, before walking briskly out of the room. "Take this. It better be worth it."

Jack was confused. "What's wrong, Agent Fowler?"

He paused at the threshold, his hand on the door frame. "It's not 'agent'. Not anymore."

Before that statement could fully register, he was gone.

The man's attitude hadn't improved by the time they walked out back. He was standing behind Raf, next to Ratchet, waiting for an answer. The twelve year old was typing furiously, more focused than Jack had ever seen him. The other Autobots were all still in sleep mode, resting under the trees.

The morning sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon when Jack and Miko walked outside. They stood on the porch for a moment, taking in the unlikely landscape in front of them. On Jack's part, he felt Miko was standing entirely too close, but he didn't want to shove her away. That would be rude. Instead, he asked her, "What do you suppose Fowler meant when he said he wasn't an agent anymore?"

She shrugged. "They probably fired him."

"Why?"

She shrugged again. "He's supposed to keep the whole war under control. Now he had to evacuate a whole town. They needed someone to blame."

"Oh." Jack stopped talking for a moment, so the only sounds were the constant tapping of Raf's keyboard. Then he said, "That's pretty stupid."

She grinned, and for a moment Jack noticed that she was actually kind of…cute. Then he thought of something. "You were awake before Fowler walked in."

Her grin faded, and Miko shifted uncomfortably. She looked down at her feet. "Maybe."

Jack started to get angry, but he couldn't figure out why. Just something about the way Miko had been acting lately. "Why? Why didn't you wake me up? _What_ were you thinking?"

Miko's natural response to other people's anger was to get angry back. So Jack was surprised when she simply shifted a little and muttered, "I didn't want to wake you up."

He sputtered a little, unsure what he could say, so he simply said, "Why?" again.

Miko opened her mouth to answer-

"I'm in!" Raf shouted. Miko's mouth snapped shut. She jumped over the porch railing and ran over to where Raf was sitting. Jack followed more slowly, taking the stairs, his head buzzing. What was happening with her?

Raf was still typing on the laptop when Jack reached him. He seemed even more entranced than ever. The screen of the computer was split; one side was filled with 1's and 0's, the other side was covered in falling Cybertronian text. As Jack watched, the symbols shifted and rotated, Raf going through the various menus and files. It took him a while to realize that Raf had stopped typing, and that the others were staring at him. Jack shook his head. He had been thinking about his problems with Miko still, when he should've been thinking like a leader.

"We need to figure out what we're up against. Can you find like a roll call, or something?"

Raf nodded and tapped the keyboard a while. Finally, he said, "I think this is it. It looks like a numerical list of all the troops that have arrived on Earth." He tapped a few more times. "This is the last couple of days."

Jack looked at the long line of symbols scrolling down the screen. He choked like a cat with a hairball. "That's… a long list." Miko and Fowler nodded grimly. Raf continued typing.

Jack suddenly saw something on the screen, and he grabbed Raf's shoulder. "What's that?" he asked, pointing. "That really bright one."

Raf typed out a command, and the screen shifted around until the said symbol was centered on the screen. Another tap and the screen zoomed in, the symbol breaking apart into dozens and dozens of smaller characters.

"What is that?" Miko asked.

"It looks like a prison listing," Raf said.

"Who would they put in prison?" Fowler asked. "All Bots are accounted for."

"Not all of them," Raf said. "Look!" He opened another window. What they saw was disturbing, to say the least.

A video. Jack guessed it was Decepticon security feed. What it showed… That was the disturbing part.

Wheeljack. He was chained up, suspended from the ceiling. The Wrecker was missing a leg, and he looked as beaten down as they'd ever seen a Bot. Miko gasped as a vehicon entered screen right and stabbed an energon prod under Wheeljack's armor. He convulsed onscreen, but offered no resistance.

Miko spun around, glaring at Jack. "We have to rescue him!" she said.

He nodded and looked at Raf. "Can you locate their ship?"

Another round of typing. "He's not on their ship," Raf said suddenly.

"What?"

Raf paused rather dramatically, hesitant, unsure. Then: "He's in their fortress."

6

Cybertron was once a name that evoked awe and fear. In the days of the Golden Age, those who spoke of it did so in hushed whispers, and it was often compared to the dwellings of deities for its splendor. Now...

Now it evoked scorn.

Silver surfaces once gleamed in space, now blackened by weapon impacts and explosions. A once clear atmosphere was obscured by dust and smoke. The entire planet felt dead; wicked amethyst light seeped from the planet's core.

Only a few hours ago, the battle to retake Cybertron had been lost. The Omega Lock lay in ruins, hellish flames dancing over the rubble of the planet's last hope.

In Decepticon terms, perfection.

Which explained their ease as they dug out the wreckage.

Metal screeched loudly as Starscream dug his claws into the rubble. He heaved upward, shifting the massive slab of debris. It was too heavy. With a low growl, the Seeker grabbed the edge and flung it upward. It balanced precariously for a moment; Starscream swung his arm around and blasted it with a missile. The base disintegrated, and the rest flew across the ruins. It clipped a vehicon, knocking it over, but Starscream never looked. He didn't care.

While the other vehicons moved to help their fallen brother, Starscream reached into the hole he had created and shoved aside smaller bits of refuse. His talons touched something, something that felt different from the waste of the Omega Lock, something hard, something whole. A miniscule corner poked through the rubbish, gleaming silver, catching Starscream's optic with its shine just as its texture had alerted the sensors in his claw. An artifact. It had to be.

Excited, Starscream began to dig faster, throwing debris around him; within moments it was uncovered, luminous beneath him. A large, flat disk of metal, buzzing with energy; a suit of armor, compacted into its most minimal form.

The Apex Armor.

Starscream chuckled. Perfect. Of all the artifacts, this would surely be the most significant. He grasped the disk, wrenched it out of the mess, holding above his head. He recalled a human movie he had seen, and clutched it to his chest. "My precious," he whispered, and laughed. Quickly, he moved to stow the armor under his own; he would not want the others to-

Pause. There was something else, something he had not noticed before, sticking out of the ground. Right where the armor had been. It looked like…

"The Phase Shifter?" Starscream breathed. Tentatively, he reached out with his other claw. At his touch, the device lit up a brilliant blue. Starscream could _feel_ the effects on his body: he was lighter, more at ease; the air wafted through him, causing an odd sensation within his circuits, one unfamiliar to the Decepticon. It might have been… pleasure.

The Seeker grasped the machine and lifted it out, his arm passing strait through the debris. He cackled gleefully. "This is too much. Why, with these two in my possession, I would be invincible! Unicron himself would bow to me!" he screeched softly, careful not to allow the vehicons to overhear. The simpleminded fools would quickly report him to-

To Megatron.

Starscream stopped. He… was loyal to Megatron. He would bow- to Megatron. Unicron… would bow… to Megatron.

The air commander howled in frustration, throwing back his head to scream. The shout traveled far, and could've been heard on the other side of the planet, let alone by the nearby troopers. They paused and stared.

Feeling their optics on him, Starscream quickly hid the artifacts behind him. "What are you dawdling for?" he snarled. "Get back to work! Lord Megatron wants those artifacts!"

The vehicons exchanged sidelong glances and shrugged. They turned away, getting on with their work.

Starscream spun about, keeping himself between them and the artifacts. "It is not in my nature to be complacent," he murmured. "I am a rogue! I should be taking these for myself! But I _have_ promised Lord Megatron my loyalty," Starscream mused, "On the other servo, what good are cunning and genius if one can never use them?" He paused. Perhaps he could even the odds a little; a balancing act. "I need not be the one to use these. I shall not give them to Megatron, but I shall not keep them. And at the same time," he muttered, "I can restore my place of favor. And replace that blasted _hunter_ once again."

A vicious grin split Starscream's face; he threw back his head and cackled madly.

7

"New Kaon?" Miko said. "Sweet! We can give 'em a one-two punch!" She boxed an imaginary opponent, giving them a rather unnecessary demonstration.

Jack was a little more subdued. "It's suicide."

She shot him a murderous look as Fowler moved to intervene. "Hold up. Now, things may be a little bit different, but if there's one thing I-"

"Agent Fowler, Jack is correct," Ratchet said, uncharacteristically sticking up for the youth. "We do not have the numbers or the weaponry needed to launch an assault on New Kaon. Not without…" He trailed of, and looked over to where Optimus still lay, underneath the trees. The medic turned back, his head bowed. "It would be a slaughter."

Miko stalked over, hands on her hips, as angry as Jack had ever seen her. "You never liked Wheeljack, not since he first showed up!" she shouted. "You would let him die just because!"

Ratchet was irritable. But never had Jack seen him truly angry. Until now. Miko had provoked him past his breaking point. The medic knelt down and went face to face with the girl. "You," he growled, "Have no right to speak to me in such a fashion! I have dedicated my _life_ to the practice of medicine, and I would not allow _any_ Autobot to die, no matter what their personality! Nor will I be told _military strategy_, by a mere human child. We have no ground-bridge. To get to New Kaon we would have to _drive_, across this continent. We would arrive tired, and without the element of surprise! Do you _want_ your friends to die? Because they would!"

As he spoke, Miko shrank back. The force of his anger was beyond anything the humans had encountered before. Miko could have stood against Megatron's evil. But against Ratchet's fury, she had no defense. Well, not much. "Jack's only a little older than me. You'd take his advice?"

The mecha stood up and stamped his foot down. The miniature quake caused the other Bots to wake, blinking their optics. "Do _not_ change the subject!" Ratchet thundered. Jack privately agreed. Leave him out of it.

"Fine! Then how 'bout we sneak up on them from behind?" she suggested.

The medic snorted. "Impossible. As I said. Without the element of surprise."

Jack didn't quite hear what Ratchet said. He'd been distracted by the low sound of jets overhead, the most human sound he had heard in days. But they weren't the deep roar of a passenger jet. It was the whine of an attack fighter. Just like-

Jack gulped as the silver plane flew in low over the trees, shifting impossibly in midair. And when it landed…

"Surprise?" said a disturbingly familiar voice. The silver figure stood up, arms behind his back, his sly face even more disturbing than his silky voice. "You Autobots are all the same."

When the figure landed, Ratchet had started to turn around. When it spoke, the medic tried to step backwards. Like everyone else who has attempted to do both at once, he fell over and landed on his skid plate. The shaking earth fully roused the others, and they quickly got to their feet.

Laughing softly, Starscream walked forward slowly, deliberately. "You know nothing of surprise."

**A/N: Insert commercial here because this is just an epic cliffhanger.**

Arcee snarled and unfolded her rifle. She aimed directly at the Seeker and snarled, "Dirty 'Con!" The other Autobots followed her example and extended their weaponry. Ratchet backed up, putting himself between Starscream and Optimus.

The Seeker laughed and stood up straighter. "Oh, put those away," he said, waving one hand dismissively. His other arm remained behind his back. "If I wanted to scrap you I would've done it already." He snickered quietly.

Bumblebee, Smokescreen and Arcee exchanged glances, but kept their blasters raised. Bulkhead growled and punched his wrecking ball into his hand. "I'm ready to kick tailpipe. Just give me the word, Jack."

The Seeker's eyes widened, and he doubled over in laughter, punching his leg repeatedly. "Oh this is just rich!" he guffawed. "The mighty Optimus Prime has left his precious Autobots under the command of a human child!" Starscream paused, gasping like he was short of breath. He caught sight of Optimus' body behind Ratchet, and the serious look on Jack's face, and doubled over again. His high pitched chuckles echoed off of the trees.

After a moment, Jack stepped forward. "Enough!" he said. "Why are you here?"

The Seeker was on all fours now, banging the ground with his fist. He looked up at Jack, and was tempted to resume laughing it was just so amusing, until he caught sight of the Autobots' serious faces and itchy trigger fingers. It would be best to leave with his wings intact. Slowly, he got up and brushed dirt off his armor. "I?" he said, putting a hand to his chest in feigned modesty. "I am here to help, of course."

Ratchet snorted in the background. "Quiet!" Starscream snapped. He looked down at Jack and chuckled again. He reached around behind him, and all the Autobots raised their weapons higher, actively aiming. "Scraplet-brains," he said, "I've come bearing gifts. I'm not going to _shoot_." They bristled, but relaxed ever so slightly.

Quickly, before they could change their minds, Starscream reached around and grasped the gift he had brought. He swiftly threw them on the ground; three objects thumped down by Jack's feet. He stared, astounded. The others looked equally shocked. Jack bent over and picked up the largest object, an enormous metal disk, which was surprisingly lightweight. "The Apex Armor?" he whispered.

The ground crunched slightly as Smokescreen walked over and crouched next to his human friend. "The Phase Shifter," he said grimly.

Starscream nodded. "As for the third," he said, "That is a remote ground-bridge operator." He sniffed. "I would not expect you imbeciles to know."

Bulkhead growled in indignation, and Starscream blinked. Jack shook his head. "Why?" he asked. "What do you want in return?"

Starscream looked embarrassed, but tried to cover it with a snarl. "Nothing. I am loyal to Lord Megatron. But, it would be more… intriguing, to have a fair fight." _And_, he thought to himself, _More likely to work in my favor._

"Am I the only one who's wondering how he found us?" Miko put in. The others looked shocked. "What?" she asked defensively.

Jack turned back to the Seeker. "She's got a point. How did you find us, and how do we know you won't lead the other Decepticons here?"

Starscream's expression told the others that he would rather lay down his arms and join the Autobots than talk about it further. But he sighed and said, "That will not be necessary, suffice to say, I will not lead the others here. At least, no time soon. And I have eliminated the means by which you were located."

"We're supposed to take your word for it?" Arcee snarled. Bumblebee whistled agreement.

"Yes," the Seeker stated simply.

Bulkhead rumbled, "That's not good enough!", and aimed his cannon.

"Hold it," Jack interrupted. He looked at the Decepticon. "I don't think we have much choice," he said to the others. To Starscream: "Go. But next time…"

He chuckled. "I would expect nothing less," the Seeker hissed. He leapt into the air, transformed, and was gone in a roar.

**A/N: Wait, what? No! I can't decide where the commercial should be! The other would be so awesome, but I can't think of a good transition to go here. **

8

Awake now, the Autobots stood at the edge of the trees behind the house. The humans stood opposite them, as if to emphasize the differences. June had come out of the house after Starscream left, and stood behind Fowler. Jack was uncomfortably aware of Miko standing similarly near him. He tried hard to keep his attention on what really mattered.

"-Need to rescue him!" Bulkhead was saying. "It's only a matter of time before the Cons find us. We should take the fight to them!"

"We should stay here," Ratchet countered. "While I am not inclined to believe any Decepticon, I feel that Starscream will not reveal our location."

"You actually trust him?" Arcee asked.

The medic snorted. "Do you?"

"Never."

"Two-ton is right," Fowler said. "Uncle Sam's got a policy. It's called 'no man left behind'. We got to do our duty."

Jack knew it was time to speak. He stepped forward and said, "Would you say the same, Ratchet, if it were Bumblebee who had been captured? Or Arcee?" The medic sputtered, but did not contradict him. "Wheeljack might be injured, but as soon as he's better, that's one more Autobot to join the fight. We need all the help we can get."

"So what are we waiting for?" Bulkhead pounded his fists. "Let's crush some Cons!"

"Ah ah ah!" Ratchet held up a hand. "Hold it! If you intend to go through with this madness, I must advise you _extreme_ caution. We do not have the energon to spare. And… you will be without my services."

The others started to protest, all speaking at once. "Listen Doc," Smokescreen said, "Just because, _one time_, Wheeljack went off and-"

"It's not that," he interrupted. "I must remain here, with Optimus."

"Well, that's fine," Jack relied. "I'm going."

"What?" Miko exclaimed.

"Jack-" his mother warned.

"Mom, I'm their leader now. I have to go. Besides, I've been on missions with the Autobots before." This wasn't going as well as he'd hoped…

"No Jack," Arcee put in, kneeling next to him, "Not like this. It's never been direct combat before. We've never knowingly taken you into danger."

"That's not the point," he said. "I've survived the danger before."

Bumblebee beeped his own protest. Ratchet added, "To lead, you'll have to be in the field, in direct line of fire. A human couldn't survive."

"You can't hide behind a boulder if you expect to lead by example," Arcee said.

"I'm going," Jack insisted.

Ratchet sputtered. "And what do you expect to be able to do? Without armor, you wouldn't even survive, and Primus knows I don't have the tone to make any."

Jack was quiet for a moment. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe..." he said quietly, "Maybe you don't have to."

The Autobots looked incredulous. Arcee asked skeptically, "What do you mean? It's not like we have one lying- around..." She trailed off. Slowly, Jack's face split in a grin. Arcee's gaze fell on the metal disk her partner was still holding. "Oh," she said.

"It's worth a try," Jack mused.

**A/N: Almost finished with episode 2. Gah! I should be so much further along. But, once I'm done with this episode, I'll be going to strait typing of my drafts, so things will go faster. Now, to my pet peeve: I have a couple hundred readers. However, I have only received four freaking reviews! Seriously! I want to hear from you! Constructive criticisms, compliments, complaints, little nit-picky details, suggestions for the future. That episode list isn't set in stone. You matter! You can determine what happens next!**

**Thanks though!**


	8. epsiode 2 scenes 9 and 10

**A/N: Well! I must say I enjoyed getting comments and reviews for once! Though not as many as I could be. Last I checked I had at least 200 readers. I've gotten maybe a dozen reviews. Total.**

**Also, while I like compliments, I'd rather here criticisms. Like, "I like this fic, **_**but**_**…"**

**Yeah, something like that.**

**And now I'd like address a few things. Just responses to a few reviews.**

**To majiclover13: yes, Jack will be using the armor. But I still think that Jack should be hesitant to give up his power. He's a guy after all. I'm thinking something like with Smokescreen in episode 5. Speaking of other episodes, I was so peeved at "Chain of Command"! Miko stole my idea!**

**To SlipknotGhidorah: N\naw. Even though it's been in every series since freaking Beast Wars. Even though the episode Rebellion was just awesome. Sorry.**

**To DragonScouter: that's a great idea! I haven't planned out every battle yet, but there will be plenty of chances for Jack and Megs to go at each other's throats. And to include the thing from Rock Bottom would make great banter.**

**Wow. Thought there were more I could respond to. Oh well. Keep them coming!**

9

Two vehicons entered the bridge of the _Nemesis_; it was time to change shifts. Through their visors, they saw a silver blur hurtling towards them in mid-air. Instinctively, they dived to the sides, the blur moving past them to smash into the just-closed door. The vehicons were startled but not surprised to see Starscream sink to the floor.

The Seeker groaned as pain radiated up from his sensors. And yet, he felt strangely content as Megatron proceeded to pulverize him. He felt as though things were finally back to the way they should be. He opened his optics to see the Decepticon leader stomping towards him across the bridge.

"You call this loyalty, Starscream?" he thundered.

"Please master! Allow me to explain!"

Megatron snarled, "The only thing you will be explaining, is how we are to recycle your parts!"

He reached out and grasped his second in command's neck. "No, please, I beg of you!" the Seeker pleaded. Megatron paid him no heed. He twisted his torso, loosened his grip, and Starscream flew through the air once more.

Belatedly, the Seeker realized he was free. He sent the signal to his new T-Cog… too late. Starscream slammed into the deck, skidding a few feet towards the controls. Soundwave never even turned. The Seeker rolled over just in time for Megatron's foot to slam down on his chest. His wings bent painfully to the sides, and his T-Cog turned painfully. He often heard humans complaining about kidney stones. He imagined it felt like this.

"Please! No!"

Megatron looked down at him with contempt. Slowly, deliberately, Megatron reached up and drew the Dark Star Saber. The purple blade _oozed_ malice, its very presence sapping the air commander's strength. Megatron shifted his foot lower, and pointed the tip at Starscream's spark chamber. He drew back, ready to thrust the blade forward.

"Lord Megatron!"

He turned quickly, filled with rage at those who dared interrupt him. The two vehicons that had entered only moments before had regained their footing, and decided that interrupting Starscream's termination would be a _good_ idea. They cowered before the Dark Star Saber. "Leave now!" he snarled.

"But sir-"

"Now!"

The two beat a hasty retreat through the bridge doors, but Megatron did not watch them go. He was distracted by the laughter coming from behind him.

"Bwah ha ha ha! Oh, the irony! The absolute hilarity of it!"

The Decepticon leader swiveled to see Starscream on his hands and knees, chuckling like a hyena, unable to breath for laughter. The insolence astounded him. And still the Seeker continued to spill words.

"I only wished to help the glory of the Decepticons! There is no glory in the defeat of an opponent so weak as the Autobots. I merely wanted to help!" He stopped laughing, and turned towards Megatron. He held up his hands, begging. "I only wanted to help, Master!"

Megatron growled and plodded towards the Seeker, snarling one word each step. "Pathetic. Simpering. Weak. Fool!" The Decepticon leader stopped and leaned down to glare at his commander. Starscream whimpered and flinched back. "You are right about one thing: there is no point in defeating one as weak… as _you_." His face inches from Starscream's, Megatron sneered, "I will spare you for now. But you will remain under constant surveillance!" He paused and stood up. "It is just as well that the hunter has been programmed. Its power will balance your _idiocy_." Another pause. "Tell me, Starscream. What of Prime?"

The Seeker peered over his arm, shaking in fear. "He- he is in stasis. I saw it!"

"Good…" Megatron murmured. "Then the time has come. We will attack now, while we have the element of surprise. Starscream! Where. Are. The Autobots!"

Starscream gulped. He had promised! He could not tell- but if he didn't, then Megatron would surely change his mind and terminate the Seeker. He did not want to join the Allspark yet! He couldn't! He had to speak. Had to! It was the only way. Resigned, Starscream opened his mouth-

And stopped. What was that? On the monitors. What had caught his optic? There- oh no. "Lord Megatron! Look!" He pointed, desperation in his voice.

The Decepticon leader turned to glare at whatever had distracted the simpering idiot. But when he saw, he felt inclined to be slightly more charitable. "It appears that we no longer need to seek out our prey." His optics narrowed. "The prey has come to us." The screen shifted, zooming on the object of their attention: a swirling turquoise vortex. A ground-bridge.

The ground-bridge had opened on the plane below New Kaon, at, appropriately enough, ground level. Overhead, the _Nemesis_ slowly circled the tower's tip. From the landing strip on top, a squadron of vehicons took flight, arcing gracefully down. They transformed and landed directly in front of the open vortex, blasters drawn. Hesitantly, the vehicons looked at one another. At last, one stepped forward, the squad leader, stomping over the desert towards the bridge.

He stopped inches from its edge. The swirl of colors, all shades of green and blue and purple, danced hypnotically before his visor. He was immune to its distraction. Sensing no danger, the squad leader turned and motioned for the others to follow him, then swiveled back-

Only to catch an energon bolt in the chest.

The blast burrowed through armor and metal, strait into his spark chamber, overloading the circuitry and extinguishing the miniature inferno that was his life. The vehicon's body was thrust backward, smashing into the ground at his compatriots' feet.

They turned their visors down to stare at him. They never realized their mistake.

Without preamble, Bulkhead jumped through the vortex and slammed a fist into the right of the phalanx. His blow didn't stop at one, but demolished them all, sending them flying sideways into the wasteland. He paused to assess the vicinity, and extend his weaponry. His mace spiraled out from one arm, and the other converted swiftly into a blaster cannon.

Behind him, Arcee, Smokescreen, and Bumblebee leaped through with guns ready. They fanned out, the honor guard. Smokescreen went right, and heard something crunch beneath his foot. He looked down and saw the remains of the vehicon squad leader. "Nice shot," he called out to Arcee.

"Thanks." She replied, cool as ever.

Behind them, the vortex remained open. The swirl of colors changed, purple streaks blazing in a whirlpool of green. From behind the curtain of light emerged a fifth metal body, bigger than even Bulkhead. Silver armor gleamed energon blue underneath, and grey highlights covered it in Cybertronian symbols. Massive boot-like feet supported pillar legs, and a torso like a wrecking ball sat on top of those. Huge, metal gorilla arms swung by its sides; they hung from equally huge shoulders.

But no head topped the body. Instead, it terminated in a curious bubble, a clear dome that turned a mecha into a suit. _The Apex Armor_. Inside that dome was a surprisingly small, out of place, distinctly _human_ shape.

Jack Darby looked down at the carnage, controlling the suit with startling ease. He turned to face the soldiers under his command, more afraid than he had ever been. But it never showed in his voice.

"Right," he said, looking up the length of the dark spire. "Let's find Wheeljack." He paused dramatically. "Autobots, roll out!"

**A/N: Ooh, exciting! If this had actually been in the show, I'd've been shrieking like a little fan girl. As it is, I'm quivering like the fan boy that I am.**

**OK, now reread that and imagine the dramatic theme song playing in the background. Picture the camera starting at ground level and then moving up as Jack came out, sop that you see his feet first. A true fan will get chills.**

**Also, note: the next bit here is a long one.**

10

The steady beat of metal footsteps echoed through the halls of New Kaon. Two vehicons strode side by side around the corner. They were newbies, numbers 503 and 602, fresh out of the Well of All Sparks. They had yet to participate in a battle, a fact that the other vehicons assured them was best for their health, given the rather predictable results of combat with the Autobots, but one that 503 and 602 wanted to change. Now, they had just heard that the Autobots were _on-site_. As in, at New Kaon. The perfect opportunity! Now they could-

That thought was the last to ever go through the processors of 503 and 602. The wall of the corridor they were in _exploded_ inward, a huge slab of metal hurtling across the narrow way and crushing them against the door. It didn't stop there. The slab toppled over the door, effectively burying the flattened carcasses of the two vehicons. On the other side of the door, another long corridor ran perpendicular to the other. Down the hall, a door opened in response to the commotion.

Knockout stuck his head into the hallway, ready to sentence the offending Decepticon to unwanted surgery for interrupting his power-down. Bad enough he had been assigned prison watch, but now he couldn't even rest? They would wish they were never made! "Hey! What's going on out here?" he shouted. Then he gulped. Knockout had seen the pile of rubble that used to be the door, and the gap in the wall on the other side of the corridor. Through that gap came the Autobots. "I'm going to lose some paint on this one," he predicted, then ducked back into the room.

Bulkhead followed the slab into the corridor, exchanging his mace for a second blaster. He turned and fired off a shot at the troops behind them. The other Autobots, also firing on the vehicons, stumbled through the gap in the wall. Arcee took a shot in the shoulder and fell; Bumblebee stopped and helped her back on her feet. She shook him off and resumed firing. Bulkhead stepped aside to let Jack take point; invincible in the Apex Armor, he absorbed the brunt of the blaster fire that emerged from inside the prison block. With a few quick strides, he accelerated like a charging bull. A few of the vehicons were smart enough to leap out of the way. _Only_ a few. The rest were knocked aside or crushed beneath Jack's massive armored feet.

One of the remaining troopers stepped out of the doorway he had been hiding in and fired a shot at Jack. It hit him square in the back. And did absolutely nothing.

Jack felt the blast hit him. He turned to face the trooper, angry as all get-out. It was time for pay back. For Cliffjumper. For Arcee. For Tailgate. For everything the Decepticons had done. He stomped slowly towards the unlucky vehicon. It began to panic, backed into the corner so that its wing fins scraped the walls. The vehicon started to fire its blaster, bolt after bolt slamming into Jack's chasse, rocking him ever so slightly. The vehicon looked up as Jack raised a fist, and started to say, "Oh scr-" before Jack crushed him against the wall.

Jack looked up from the carnage he had created and saw the other Autobots starting to engage the vehicons. "Arcee!" She sliced off a vehicons head and looked up. "You guys get Wheeljack. I'll take care of the 'Cons." She hesitated, then nodded.

"Bee!" she shouted as she ran towards the cell, and he glanced over. "You and me! Let's go!" he nodded and beeped.

Arcee leaped over a vehicon, blasting its faceplate off as she went. She landed feet-first on the chest of another, then ran forward. Bumblebee reached the door first, and hit the door-pad. The panels slid open…

Revealing a very ticked off looking Knockout.

The mad doctor shoved his cattle prod into Bumblebee's abdomen, causing the scout to writhe and fall to the ground. "Bumblebee!" Arcee shouted.

The scout let out a feeble beep, then passed out.

Knockout grinned at her. "Ready for that old 'nip-and-tuck'?" he asked.

Arcee only snarled. She extended her arm blades and leapt at him.

Jack couldn't be bothered to watch the drama playing out behind him. He was too busy pounding the scrap out of the vehicons. In only the few minutes that had passed since exiting the ground-bridge, he had learned quite a bit. The most important thing was that, while he considered the Autobots friend and even family, the Decepticons were nothing more than walking oversized _toasters_ that were beyond easy to destroy. He drove his armored fist into one after the other, feeling metal bend and twist, and the seeing the vehicons' visors darken.

Taking a moment to look around, he saw that Smokescreen and Bulkhead were holding up Wheeljack, helping him towards the exit, guarding him. Bumblebee had reawakened, and joined Arcee in battling Knockout. The Decepticon already sported several new gouges in his finish. With a snarl, Knockout thrust the prod towards Bumblebee, hoping to take him out of the fight again. At that moment, Arcee body-slammed him to the floor. The prod fell from Knockout's numb fingers as he drifted into unconsciousness.

Jack noticed another vehicon out of the corner of his eye. It moved in quickly, too quickly for him to react. The brave- or perhaps simply stupid- vehicon drew back a claw, and sliced it forward towards Jack's torso-

Where it crumpled into a ball on impact. Jack winced. That _had_ to hurt. Nevertheless, the vehicon pulled back its other arm to try again. This time, Jack reached out and caught it. He squeezed his own fist closed, crushing the unfortunate Con's claw. It screamed in pain and collapsed, writhing, to the floor. Jack stepped on it, and it stopped moving. When he looked up, Jack realized that all of the Decepticons- except the passed out Knockout- were either dead or gone. He turned back to his team.

"Arcee, contact Ratchet. Tell him we need a bridge," he said.

"On it," she replied.

He nodded. "Let's move!"

They quickly ran towards the hole they'd made on their way in, carrying Wheeljack with them. Bulkhead held the majority of his friend's weight, and without any Decepticon interference, their progress was swift. They passed one, two, three walls. The fourth and final gap lay just ahead, but still no Decepticons tried to stop them. Jack slowed down. Why weren't they? "Why aren't they?" he muttered. The others glanced back at him. "Why aren't they trying to stop us?" he said aloud.

The Autobots exchanged looks and shrugs. "What's it matter?" Bulkhead asked. "We're home-free!"

"Maybe," Jack said. He pushed the former Wrecker aside, and stood right in front of the opening. "Or maybe not."

The peace on bridge of the _Nemesis_ was shattered as Megatron screamed in frustration. "Not only are you incompetent, Starscream, but you cannot even properly train your armada!" The Decepticon leader bared his teeth and growled, "I will have to deal with the Autobots myself!" He turned to exit.

Before Megatron could even take a step, the door to the bridge opened, and Shockwave stepped through. "Lord Megatron," he said with a bow.

"Shockwave! I would attend to your inquiry, but I have other, more pressing matters to attend to," the Decepticon leader said bruskly as he walked past the scientist.

"I understand," the other said. "And I offer my help."

Megatron swiveled. "Your place is in the lab. Never forget that!" he paused, then said with emphhasis, "You have projects to attend to."

"Indeed. The human-Cybertronian abomination is a particularly gratifying experiment. But as you stated: there are more pressing matters."

"Then get on with it!" Megatron snarled, desperate to attend to the Autobots.

"While it was never intended for this purpose," Shockwave said, eye gleaming, "I believe that the time has come. To release the Predacon."

Megatron's eyes grew wide.

Jack stood in front of the gap in the wall. Behind him, the Autobots milled around restlessly.

"Come on!" Bulkhead pleaded in exasperation. "Jackie's low on energon. We need to get him back, pronto!"

Bumblebee let out a particularly long series of beeps and whistles. Jack couldn't understand, but he got the gist of it. Something like, _Come-on-you-stupid-excuse-for-a-leader. Let's-go-home! Nothing's-gonna-happen._

But he didn't move.

Outside, the sky was growing darker. Stars appeared above the beautiful desert sunset, now even more colorful as light refracted through the smoke from Omega Outpost One. The _Nemesis_ passed by overhead, its bottom edge just visible through the gap. Jack stuck his head out a little ways to follow its progress across the sky…

And ducked back as a wall of flames roared to life in front of him. He backed off, the heat searing inside of the armor, holding up his hands to block the blaze.

The other Autobots drew their blasters, ready for the Decepticons to charge in, trapped as they were against the flames. But the ambush never came. Instead, from the other side of the inferno, they heard a low, bone-chilling growl, that scraped along their spines like a knife. Jack thought he had never heard anything so terrifying in his life, not even the snarl of a zombie Skyquake in the Shadowzone, or Megatron's laugh in that mine, or Airachnid's hiss.

This was different. This was… primal. It reached into the deepest cores of their minds, bringing out thoughts of night-terrors, making them desperate to be anywhere else. Jack felt uncomfortable warmth spreading across the front of his jeans, and realized what had happened. He'd lost bladder control and soiled himself. For a moment, his faced burned with shame, but then he looked at the Autobots and saw that, if they'd been capable, they'd have been doing the same. Even Arcee. She hadn't looked this scared since Airachnid had arrived on Earth.

Jack drew a shaky breath. "O-kay," he said, "Not that way."

As one, they turned and started to run. Behind them, Jack saw an emaciated-looking clawed limb burst through the fire and reach for them. When it didn't find them, the thing withdrew its limb, and _roared_. A primitive, howling roar. If his bladder hadn't been empty, Jack would've wet himself again.

"Where are we going?" Smokescreen asked, his normally cocky voice quavering.

The thing on the other side of the fire roared again.

"Away from that!" Jack shouted as they rounded the corner.

Megatron bared his teeth. No one watching could say in what emotion. He himself may not have known. He stood on the _Nemesis'_ bridge, along with Starscream and Shockwave. The screens displayed views from various security cameras within New Kaon, following the Autobots as they ran. Outside of the fortress, Predaking followed them, roaring and snarling, shooting flames across the tower.

Starscream watched with no small displeasure. Not only was Shockwave taking his place as Megatron's closest lieutenant, but the very idea of using a Predacon... it made him shudder. He preferred combat to the hunt, took pleasure more in causing pain than in fear. And of course, no pleasure was greater than _personally_ extinguishing an Atobots spark. Like he had with Cliffjumper. Now _there_ was a memory that brought a smile to his face.

But not now. At this point, the only thing that would make him smile was if the beast were to fall over dead. Then he would smile at Shockwave's utter humiliation. Yes, having the beast kill the Autobots was decidedly unsatisfactory. It didn't help that Shockwave would receive all the credit.

Onscreen, the Autobots ran. They ran even though they couldn't see what they were running from. They ran in fear.

Every Decepticon onboard the _Nemesis_, indeed, on the planet, knew that it would take a small miracle for the Autobots to escape. If any of them were capable of feeling pity, they would've felt sorry for the Autobots. But they weren't, so they didn't.

Megatron watched the Autobots flee, a sadistic smile splitting his face.

Jack led the Autobots down yet another corridor in the endless maze that was New Kaon. Their hallway ran parallel to the outer wall, and beyond it, Jack could hear the beast following them, roaring. At the same time, Jack could hear a different roar- the roar of fire, spreading across the tower as if it had been doused in gasoline.

Jack saw a pair of vehicons up ahead. Reacting instinctively, which was most likely a mistake, he called out to them. "Hey! Hey! Help us! Please!"

The vehicons turned their visors to look at one another, obviously wondering why anyone associated with the Autobots would beg for their help. Then the creature roared again. The vehicons reeled backward, stumbling as it hit the tower. The hallway that the Autobots were running through was actually a gentle upward helix, so they were now several stories in the air. High enough to feel they tower sway with the heavy impact.

The vehicons exchanged glances again, this time scared ones. They looked up at the Autobots, and then one of them hit a keypad in the wall. A door slammed shut just in front of Jack. "Scrap!"

The Autobots shivered as the beast outside roared again. Jack pulled back a fist, and slammed it into the door. It didn't even dent.

"No good," Bulkhead said. "That's a blast door. Triple reinforced." He tapped on the metal for emphasis.

"Great," Jack grumbled.

The Autobots fell back against the inner wall, sliding down. Outside, the beast roared and scratched, sounding like a living nightmare. They sat there, certain of the inevitable.

Jack looked around at his "troops". Some leader he was. He'd promised Miko he'd bring Wheeljack home. He'd promised Optimus he'd keep the Autobots safe. He'd promised himself that he would make up for failing when the Decepticon captured them. And he'd failed. Now they were going to die. Probably painfully. And now he'd never find out what Miko hadn't told him. He thought again of his promise to bring Wheeljack home.

Speaking of Wheeljack...

The Wrecker rolled slightly, bumping into Smokescreen, who gently pushed him back upright. Wheeljack moaned pathetically, waking up.

In an instant, Bulkhead was on his feet, hovering over his friend. "Jackie! Speak to me, buddy."

The Bot's lips barely moved, but he was trying to say something. Jack got up and leaned close to the Wrecker. "What? What is it?"

"G-Ground... Bri..."

Jack leaned back. "Sorry. We can't. We'd have to get outside first."

The Wrecker rolled his head towards Jack to speak, every word an effort. "Not... Ours. Theirs." His optics closed and he leaned back.

"Jackie?" Bulkhead exclaimed. "Jackie!" He leaned down and put his auditory sensor to Wheeljack's chest. And sighed. "His spark's still beating. Ol' Jackie's too stubborn to die."

Jack looked at the others, who were getting up, seemingly reenergized. Jack didn't feel like that. The most he felt right then was confused. "Did he mean what I think he meant?"

Arcee nodded. "The Decepticons have to have an in-house ground-bridge. We couldn't get in here. But they have to get out."

Jack considered. "That's a good idea. But we're kinda stuck," he pointed out.

Bulkhead chuckled. He reached down and pulled a grenade from his waist. "There's more than one way to get through a door."

Jack and the others grinned, and even Bumblebee gave an appreciative whine.

Ratchet sat in the backyard of Jack and June's new house. He had his communicator open, but so far there had been nothing but static.

He was toying with a few spare parts, attempting to build a Cybertronian computer that would make things a little easier. With so few resources, it was essential that he restore some form of order to their cause. Later, they would coordinate with Agent- _former_ agent- Fowler to establish a real base. But in the meantime, this was all up to him.

It did not help that June was pacing at his side. The sometimes frantic, sometimes monotone beat of her footsteps was driving him crazy. "Nurse Darby," he said, bringing his palms to the sides of his head, "Would you please stop?!"

Surprisingly, she did, plopping herself down on the ground. She brought her arms up to encircle her knees, and began to rock. The metronome-like motion drew Ratchet's optics, and his attention, more than her footsteps had. Resigning himself to the inevitable, Ratchet gave a huge sigh and shoved his project under the trees. "Miss Darby, is something wrong?"

She looked up at the mecha, and Ratchet was suddenly struck by the fact that she was, for a human, exceptionally beautiful. And young. He wondered how old she had been when Jack was conceived. Curious, Ratchet filed the questions away in his processor to ask at a more appropriate time.

"Oh, it's nothing really," she said. Obviously it was something. Ratchet would never understand humans. "I'm worried about Jack."

"I'm sure he's fine. These things take time, you know."

"Yes," June said, "But shouldn't they be back by now?"

Ratchet considered. It had been a while. Hours, in fact. The sun was setting. "I'm sure it's nothing. They probably ran into more Decepticon resistance than we were expecting."

She jerked her head up, desperation and fear in her eyes. Ratchet gave a hearty laugh. "Don't worry Miss Darby. It's nothing they haven't encountered before."

_We've never encountered anything like this before_, Jack thought. He stood at the front of the line of Autobots, staring at the gaping hole in the wall. That hole was just across from their destination, the Decepticon's New Kaon-based ground-bridge. The foot-thick metal of the wall was _splintered_, shards impaled in the other parts of the corridor. The hole led into another room that was between them and the outer-most wall. There was a hole in that wall, too. It had been _melted_.

Jack shook his head. This was ridiculous. They were being followed by something, and they didn't even know what it was. It was big, it was scary, it was strong. That was it. Empty folder. No more data. Search does not find.

But that wasn't the ridiculous part. The ridiculous part was that no one wanted to go around the hole into the ground-bridge room.

"That's it," Arcee said. Her steely resolve had returned. "I'm going in."

She extended her twin sniper rifles, gritting her teeth. In an instant, she dived to the center of the floor in front of the hole and rolled, springing backward through the door. The entire time, she kept her rifles trained on the hole.

Nothing happened.

Jack exchanged a look with Bulkhead. Now or never.

The Autobots all extended their weapons, cautious like never before. Even with Scraplets. With Jack in the lead, they started towards the door.

For the mechas, it was only a few paces between the edge and the door. But they went so slowly that their rate could be measured in meters per _hour_. Nevertheless, they reached the doorway without incident. Outside, the sky was black and studded with stars.

When they reached the door, they all relaxed with a huge collective sigh. They turned and walked into the ground-bridge room, thankful that the nightmare was behind them.

**A/N: aaaaand… cue dramatic music!**

Jack's legs clenched as he heard the growl behind them, his bladder pushing on emptiness. So much for no fear.

The primal growl of the creature caused the Autobots to just about fall over themselves in fear, and even Arcee paused in her work at the ground-bridge controls. Beneath the snarl, Jack heard something else, a low ticking noise, like a gas stove trying to light. With a yell, he jumped backward, forcing the Bumblebee, Wheeljack, and Smokescreen into the room behind him. Flames rushed in to fill the hall with heat; recklessly, Bulkhead dove in front of Jack and the others.

"Bulkhead!" Jack shouted.

The inferno died down, and they could see the former Wrecker still standing there, wobbling slightly, his paint singed, but otherwise unhurt. "I'm all right," he rumbled, turning back to them. "Just a little hot to the touch."

Looking behind him, Jack could see a massive hole in the floor of the other room. The edges were glowing white hot, dripping molten metal into whatever space lay below. "That was too close," he said. Looking at his friends, Jack realized what he had to do. "You guys go ahead. Get Wheeljack home safe. I'll hold of that _thing_."

Smokescreen looked like he wanted to protest, but nodded instead. The young Bot pulled Wheeljack behind him. Bumblebee and Bulkhead followed.

Jack watched them for a moment, then turned back to the hole in the wall. He walked towards the gap, careful to avoid the corresponding break in the floor. It was strangely silent in the room. Cautious, Jack slowly circled the edge of the room, watching for the creature. He saw nothing.

Above him, Jack heard the low ticking sound again. He looked up, flashing on every horror movie he'd ever watched, and saw the thing there, clinging to the ragged edges of yet another hole. Jack watched as harsh yellow-orange light flared in its body, illuminating a strange symbol he'd never seen before. the light traveled up the creature's long neck-_ Jesus, how big is it?_- and into its head. It opened jaws that looked way to much like the monster from the movie _Predator_, and spat a stream of white-hot flames at Jack.

He barely got out of the way in time. The blaze slammed into the floor, melting yet another hole, turning what was a minor obstacle into a full blown maze of death. Jack quickly got up and tackled the beast off the ceiling. They fell to the floor, _through _the floor to the next floor down, and Jack realized that he'd made a huge mistake. Even the Apex Armor wasn't strong enough to stop this thing. It pinned him to the ground, and prepared to spew fire right at him. Jack doubted he would survive that. Desperate, he kicked out, catching the surprised beast in the abdomen, sending it flying. Suitably terrified, Jack got up and started to run...

And was brought crashing to the floor by the monster's tail. Thinking quickly, he got back to his feet and rushed at it, shoving it upward, propelling them back to their original floor.

The beast got to its four feet a glared at Jack with pure hatred, and hissed. Moonlight poured into the room, and for the first time, Jack got a descent look at his opponent. It was _huge_, bigger that a passenger jet. Judging by the way the light reflected off of it, the thing was made of metal too. But despite its size, it was thin, like a malnourished lion kept in the Coliseum. Jack felt like he was looking at something that wasn't meant to be.

Slowly, he became aware that he and the creature were circling- again, reminding him of a lion in the gladiator ring. He realized that they'd gone a complete one-eighty, so that his back was to the hole in the wall. The creature could have gone after the Autobots, but it remained focused on him. Was it stupid, Jack wondered, or just not informed? Perhaps it thought the others were just hiding, and as soon as it was done with him, it could go after them.

The circling had stopped. Now it was wavering back and forth, left and right. Jack gulped nervously. Sooner or later, it would leap. And he knew that when it did, it would kill him. Of that he had no doubt.

Resolve hardened. He would strike first. It was the only way.

Jack rushed forward, and the creature's eyes widened. It apparently wasn't expecting that. Jack slammed into it like a runaway train. He rolled it over, pushing it forward until it slammed into the wall. He backed off slightly, letting the beast stand up. It turned towards him, once again hissing with pure malice. Quicker than before, the light flared up and traveled the distance of its throat. The monstrous maw spread open and filled with white hot energy.

Jack punched the beast under its jaw. Eyes wide, its neck bent back, and the flames rocketed upward, burning through the ceiling. Before it could recover, Jack hit it again, and again, and again. He pounded on it, fear giving way to anger, and that anger burned hotter than the monster's flames. Jack slammed a final blow into its body just below its neck, at the point where the light-flares began, and stood back to see-

The beast's claw swiping up at him from the side. Jack dodged backward, Astonished to see that the creature was completely unfazed after the beating he'd given it. If anything, it looked even stronger than before.

Jack stepped backward, putting distance between them. It took another swipe at him, with claws, with tail. He ducked and dodged, avoiding the blows, if barely. Through the armor, Jack suddenly felt a night breeze, the type of which he had felt all his life. His foot slid backward and fell off into air. Jack waved his arms, balance almost shot, and stumbled forward. He realized what the beast's plan was now. It was trying to shove him off the edge.

Jack changed his stance. Now that he knew, he could use it against the monster. He watched it carefully, its legs bending to take more weight in the back, tail swishing back to be out of the way, energy surging out of its chest and into its limbs. Right... NOW!

Jack dived to the side, feeling air twist as the massive beast hurtled past. With a high-pitched shriek like rending metal, it fell away, clawing at the clouds.

Jack backed away from the edge. Whatever that thing was, it was made out of metal, so it certainly wouldn't float. He was picking his way around the hole nearest the door when he heard it: the primal roar that scraped his spine. Jack turned back to the outer wall and felt his heart sink.

Up through the clouds burst a huge, thin shape. It arced upward, mist trailing off of it, passing directly in front of the moon. Silhouetted against the bright light, it twisted in midair to face the tower and hovered.

It was the beast, with one obvious difference that Jack hadn't seen before. Attached to its back were two enormous, skeletal _wings_.

The monster's chest glowed orange, and in a fraction of a second, shot the biggest burst of flames yet directly at Jack. Throwing caution to the wind, he jumped across the hall into the ground-bridge room, the swirling green vortex already open. Arcee was halfway through, and Jack could see the house shimmering through the light interference. Hearing the explosion, Arcee turned back towards him, optics widening. "Jack!" she shouted, swiftly bringing blasters to bear.

He twisted and looked behind him. The beast was clawing its way through the too-small doorway, foot-long claws gouging out the walls, ceiling, floor. Jack turned back to Arcee. "Get out of here!" he shouted.

She shook her head. "Not without you!"

"Go!" He turned back to the beast. It had shredded the wall around the door into a hole big enough to fit through, and was just pulling itself into the room. Jack looked at the ground-bridge controls, hoping he would be able to shut it down, and keep the monster away from his friends.

No can do. They were too complicated, light-years beyond his Mac at home. Helplessly, he pressed as many buttons as he could, windows and error messages popping up all over the crystal screens. It wasn't intuitive like the drill had been. "I hate Decepticon technology!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw something coming towards him. He ducked down, dodging the beast's strike, Jack rolled towards the ground-bridge. He saw the creature's tail hit the controls, stabbing deep into the metal. Electricity jumped between the controls and the bridge, the controls and the beast. It convulsed wildly, shrieking as it got electrocuted.

The ground-bridge shifted, its colors changing hues, the tunnel of light twisting and narrowing. As Jack watched, Arcee and the house appeared to shrink, become more distant. Arcee, all the way on the other side, looked back and saw him, still in New Kaon. "Jack!" she shouted again.

He got to his feet and stumbled towards the still open portal. Behind him, the beast pulled away from the controls and shook its head. When it saw Jack, it roared in anger. Orange light pulsed in its chest and a huge wave of fire billowed out of its maw. Jack was just reaching the mouth of the vortex, but he seemed no closer to the backyard, no closer to safety. He felt the heat wave behind him, heard the explosion as the blaze super-heated the circuitry. He had the impression of wind, and of color. There was an impact that loosened teeth in his jaw. Jack heard the ground-bridge close, cutting off the dueling roars of the beast and its fire, and saw the beautiful, angel-like face of his mother hovering over him.

And then it all went black.


	9. epsiode 2 scenes 11 and 12

**A/N: okay, so the last one was short. Well, not really, but it was only two scenes. So, I'll have to make the next two just as detailed before I start episode three. Look at it this way: I now have a way to type more, so I'll be finished sooner. Then again, my writing is becoming more detailed, so…**

**People, you have issues. Do I have to spell it outfor ya'? Here it is: after each chapter, I expect reviews! How else do I know if I did it right? Especially with fight scenes like that!**

11

Jack woke to a strange noise, like something tapping on glass. Was it a tree branch? _There are no trees in Jasper_, he thought.

_You don't live in Jasper anymore_.

Jack sat bolt upright. Or tried to. His head smashed into the transparent head cover of the Apex Armor. "Gah!" he cried out.

Jack reached down and dialed the chest plate of the armor back, returning it to disk form. He sat in the dirt and nursed his head in his hands.

"Oh good, you're awake," Miko said. She had to be the Mistress of Stating the Obvious.

Jack groaned.

June rushed him, picking him off the ground and wrapping him in a hug. "Jackson Darby, what were you thinking?" she demanded when she released him.

Arcee clomped over to intervene. "June…"

She turned on the Autobot. "Don't you even start. You let him go!"

"Mom," he said, "I'm fine." He looked around. Everyone- except Optimus of course- was watching the embarrassing spectacle. Wheeljack was leaned up against a tree, a more complete patch on his truncated leg. Bulkhead sat next to him, looking a little woozy but otherwise okay. Ratchet stood a little closer, a perplexed look on his face. Fowler sat on a log, tending the fire that had apparently been started as night fell.

Jack looked around at the range of expressions, from his mother's fear to Ratchet's confusion to Miko's excitement. "How long was I out?"

She put her hands on her hips and assumed a pose of extreme arrogance. "Dude, it's been, like, three days!"

Before Jack could think to respond, Ratchet spoke. "Miko..."

The girl huffed. "Oh, all right. It's only been about half an hour." She brightened. "But you came _sailing _through the bridge! Something totally rad must've happened! What was it?"

"While I do not approve of her jovial tone," Ratchet said, "I too share Miko's curiosity as to... what has happened."

Bumblebee whirred, and Arcee added, "Care to tell us about it, Jack? The rest of us only saw flashes."

He sighed. Of course. The inevitable post-mission gossip. Sorry, _debriefing_. "Right. We'd gotten Wheeljack out and beat down all Decepticons. We were on our way out. Then, at the exit, we were attacked. By... I don't know what." Jack shuddered. "It was big."

"Insecticon?" Ratchet asked.

"Bigger," Jack said, "And… it looked more like a lizard than a beetle."

Ratchet's optics widened. "Go on."

Jack nodded. "We headed up the tower and blasted our way into the ground-bridge room. That's when it attacked us inside the tower."

"How did it get inside if it was as big as you say?" Ratchet.

"It melted a hole in with its fire-breath." Jack.

"It did _what_?"

Jack nodded again. "That's when I jumped it, so the others could get away."

Ratchet suddenly looked hopeful. "Is it dead? It didn't follow you."

"No," Jack said. "I thought it would when I tossed it off the edge, but then it-" He stopped.

"It what?" Ratchet pressed.

"It flew." Ratchet looked queasy now instead.

Miko looked skeptical. "Are you saying you fought a dragon? Where did the Cons get a Dragon?"

Bulkhead looked confused. "What's a… dragon?"

"Giant, flying, fire-breathing lizard," she replied.

"By the Allspark," Ratchet muttered, earning looks from the other Autobots.

"What? What's going on?" Raf asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"A _Predacon_. Here! Now!" Ratchet wasn't the only one looking queasy.

"What's a... Predacon?" Raf questioned them.

Smokescreen gulped. "Alpha Trion gave me a lecture on them once. They're supposed to be extinct!"

Ratchet nodded. "Indeed. The Predacons were all destroyed at the dawn of Cybertronian history."

Miko bulled forward. "Hell-oooo! What were they?"

Bulkhead knelt next to her, halfway between excited and terrified. "I saw the legends working construction on the Hall of Records. The Preds were monsters, ancient Cybertronan beasts... from the time of the original Primes."

Bumblebee beeped out a question, to which Ratchet promptly replied, "No Bumblebee, they were not the same as other Cybertronians. _We_ were created by Primus, through the Well of All Sparks. The Predacons... were the creation of Unicron."

Even the Autobots were startled by that revelation. Bumblebee looked positively horrified.

"When Unicron first encountered the Thirteen," Ratchet said, "He retaliated by producing his own monstrous warriors, vicious beasts that were nearly indestructible, and had Dark Energon for blood." The medic's optics dilated, producing a hologram of an ancient battlefield. It was a hellish landscape of fire and spilled energon. Bestial forms slashed at towering warriors. Among them, one shined brighter than the others. He looked startlingly like Smokescreen, and wielded a sword that shone brilliant blue. As the humans and Autobots watched, the warrior slaughtered the Predacons, driving the sword through one monster after another. "The Predacons were all destroyed, by Prima, who wielded the Star Saber."

Jack looked over at Optimus' prone form lying on the grass. "We're a little short on Star Sabers right now," he said. "And Primes to wield them."

Raf stood up, uncharacteristically defiant. "There must be some way to stop it. If we don't, and it really is allied with the Decepticons…" Bumblebee whined in agreement.

Jack thought about it. "If this thing has Dark Energon for blood… It could be under direct control from Megatron."

"Unlikely," Ratchet said. "I doubt that this is a true Predacon. More plausibly, it is clone, created by the Decepticons."

Arcee looked up from where she'd been nodding off. "Knockout may be a physician, but he's no genius. There's only one Decepticon who could've pulled off that kind of project."

"Who?" Miko asked, eyes wide.

"Shockwave."

Ratchet started. "Megatron's chief science officer? I thought he was dead!"

"Me too," Arcee said. "The last time anyone saw him was when I shot his optic out. The space-bridge should've blown sky high. No way he could've survived that." She paused. "Could he?"

"It... is not without precedent. And as you said, he is the only Decepticon with the ability to manage such an undertaking."

"So, can we kill the Pred?" Miko asked.

Ratchet looked down at her. "If it is a clone, and Shockwave did create it while on Cybertron, the Predacon will have regular energon in its veins. Given the beast's physiology, it would stand to reason that it would be greatly weakened. But not enough to be destroyed by conventional weapons."

"Awwwww," Miko cried.

"That being said," Ratchet mused, "The Predacon may be weakened to the point where it would be vulnerable to the same destructive devices as other Cybertronian life. Cosmic Rust, Energon Harvester, Cybon-"Ratchet stopped. A strange expression crossed his face, disgust and joy mingling in a single look that was sufficient to cause the other Autobots concern.

"Uh, Ratchet?" Arcee said. "You mind clueing the rest of us in?"

"Huh-Ha!" the medic laughed. "Thank you Rafael and Miko!" He turned to the others. "Cybonic Plague!" he exclaimed. The others didn't share his enthusiasm. Their expressions were cautious.

"You lost me," Bulkhead said. "I thought we wanted to kill the Predacon, not ourselves!"

"That's the point, Bulkhead! The disease is only transmittable through contact with infected energon. If we were to inject the virus straight into the Predacon..."

"We snuff the tragic dragon!" Miko exclaimed.

Jack glanced sideways. "Did you seriously just say that?"

"Yes, yes I did." She put her hands on her hips and leaned his way. "Wanna make somethin' of it?"

The teen shook his head, then turned to Ratchet. "We need the virus to infect the Predacon. Where in the world would we get it?"

The medic's excitement was palatible. "From this world. From the very same ship where Optimus was infected."

Now only Arcee retained the Bots' initial skepticism. "That ship was in the middle of a shifting desert, Ratchet. Its probably been buried by now."

"No Arcee," Ratchet said, his voice carrying. "The ship's internal gyroscopes will have kept it above ground. What's more, I remember the ship's _exact_ coordinates."

"Will it work?" Raf asked, all of their hope and distress in his voice.

Jack stepped forward. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, casting clear light over an unblemished sky. He looked around at the Autobots- friends, family. Troops. _His _troops. The first orange rays of sunlight shone past the trees, slanting off of his dark hair, glinting in his eyes. Jack stood up straighter. He leveled his gaze at each of them: Bumblebee, scared but determined; Arcee, cool and collected; Ratchet, the epitome of excitement; Smokescreen, young and eager; Bulkhead, steadfast and loyal; Miko, reckless but capable; Raf, intelligent beyond his years; Fowler, aging yet still strong; and June, his mom, looking fearful but oh so proud. "We'll _make _it work," Jack promised them. He turned to the treeline, towards Optimus. "We'll make Optimus proud."

All of them, Autobots and Humans, swelled with hope and pride. They joined as one to give a cheer the resounded off the trees, echoing throughout the countryside. Their own small group of rebels. The last vestiges of resistance. Team Prime- bring the rain.

**A/N: Ok, quick question: would TFP Predacons have sparks?**

**Also, don't hate me for a slightly sappy bit. Jack's being groomed right now.**

12

Darkness fell again over New Kaon, smoke and smog extending to the horizon. The dense black clouds once more formed perpetual night, unbroken by moon or stars. It was into that obsidian setting that the _Nemesis_ flew, drifting high over the Decepticons' fortress. The ancient warship slowly circled the top-most spires, watching waiting.

Megatron stood on the aft deck, just above the engines. The ion thrusters charged the atmosphere, forming the beginnings of yet another lightning storm. Thunder boomed around the ship.

The Decepticon leader planted his feet on the cold metal of his ship. His arms hung at his sides, the power of Unicron flowing through them. Even the salvaged arm of the dead Prime. It crossed his mind yet again which Prime had wielded the power of Primus in life. Was it Sentinal, Optimus' predecessor? Or had it been that of Prima himself? Oh, the irony of that would be sweet. The Lord of Light's messiah... desecrated to serve the new Emperor of Darkness.

Megatron's optics followed the path of his Predacon as it swooped through the air. Predaking flew spirals around the_ Nemesis_ and New Kaon, boundless energy surging through it's veins. Below, the results of its battle with the Autobots were clear: New Kaon burned.

Flames roared out of the tower's holes, and bored new ones through its surfaces. Explosions rocked the tower as energon reserves went up in smoke. One spire melted completely through at its base, and sheared away from the fortress. It fell hundreds of feet to crash into the desert floor below. Nearly a thousand Decepticon troops gathered around the base of the citadel, watching the hypnotic dance of flames.

The bay doors at the far end of the _Nesmesis_' flight deck opened. Heavy footsteps mingled with softer ones, and the prim tread of Knockout's feet stood out like no other's. Megatron's lip plates pulled back to reveal his sharpened teeth. "Approach, my lieutenants." Behind him, he heard the scrape of metal on metal as Knockout and Shockwave bowed. Starscream of course remained insolent, and Megatron would be unable to tell if Soundwave was even there without turning around. (**He is back there by the way. Just imagine him in, standing silently next to the other three. No bowing.**)

Starscream plodded up next to his leader. "My Lord," he said. Megatron's only form of acknowledgement was to widen the gap between his teeth. "Why do we stand here, dawdling, whilst our fortress burns?"

Not a servo moved below Megatron's neck as he replied, "The citadel is but a figurehead Starscream. It's only importance is as a beacon to the outside universe. The true power remains here, on the warship." There was a short pause, and then Megatron gestured with his right hand. "And there, in my new Predacon."

Starscream made a small, strange noise. It may have been a cough. Or a laugh. Or a choking gasp. Megatron didn't care. Starscream was as much a figurehead as New Kaon, an authority that inspired loyalty through fear of failure. His feelings, indeed, his actions, were of no interest to Megatron. There was only one who mattered right now. "Shockwave!"

The purple mecha walked to Megatron's other side. The warlord turned to appraise him, taking in the sight of the scientist. It filled him with the strangest of emotions, something he had not felt since his earliest days in the Pit. Call it..._joy_. "It does my spark good to see my chief engineer alive and well. We all believed you perished at the hands of the Autobots."

Shockwave nodded. "I awoke in the rubble of my space-bridge, blinded. In time, I was able to repair my wounds, and resume my experiments."

"Producing the miracle we see before us now."

"Indeed."

The Decepticons stood in relative silence for a long time, Starscream backing away to stand, grumbling, beside Knockout. They watched without emotion (except a very bored Starscream) as Predaking entered a screaming dive for the ground. The troops scattered as the enormous Predacon dropped out of the clouds, running in terror from its claws and massive bulk. It pulled up at the last second, grasping an unfortunate vehicon by the shoulders, and yanking it skyward. The poor soldier struggled against the harsh grip, going so far as to blast the Predacon several times in the chest, but had no luck. At a height so great that those aboard the _Nemesis_ had to cran their necks backwards to see, Predaking released his victim. It fell screaming into the flames of New Kaon. Only Starscream flinched in imaginary pain.

Megatron spoke softly to the horizon. "The flames are still too hot for troops to enter... Heh heh heh," he laughed quietly. "My beast's power is astonishing."

Shockwave turned to look at his leader. "We should release it to hunt down the Autobots. They may believe us weakened by the loss of New Kaon. We would have the element of surprise."

Megatron folded his arms behind his back, intertwining his fingers. "No, Shockwave. We will allow the Autobots this victory, yes. Soon their arrogance will become their downfall. They have exposed themselves once. They will do it again. And when they do," he added, tenor building in his voice, "We will be ready, yes..."

In the background, he heard Starscream whisper to Knockout, "This is madness. We place our faith in a beast that has destroyed more Decepticons than Autobots? Not to mention reduced our seat of power to rubble."

With a growl, Megatron spoke. "You should take a cue from Soundwave, Starscream, and _hold your tounge_!" The sycophant sputtered, but Megatron paid him no heed. "When we have destroyed the Autobots once and for all, we will turn our sights on the other vermin populating this world. Earth is our planet now, and the humans are pustulant blemishes on its surface. We will crush them like bugs under our feet.

"The time has come for this world to recognize its new master," he said. "The reign of the Decepticons has begun. The human race has no idea what lies ahead." The Decepticon leader chuckled softly, his gaze trained on the small town of Jasper, Nevada that lay in ruins behind New Kaon. Beyond that, a small military base was bustling with troop activity, foolish humans making ready their primitive weaponry. Beyond that, it was open desert for miles, until the nearest human metropolises appeared. And beyond those, spreading in every direction, the magnificence of humanity; art, music, food, traditions; history thousands of years in the making. All of it... at the mercy of Megatron. The tyrant laughed softly on the deck of the _Nemesis_, clenching his fist around an imaginary globe. He watched as Predaking dived again, bathing in its flames, drunk on its own power, reveling in the destruction it had caused. And he saw that it was good...

**A/N: And... Roll credits! Mwah ha ha ha ha ha! I am so badass! Kidding. So, Episode 2 finished! I'm gonna start on Episode 3 right away. I have no written draft for three, so this should go faster. I will be pushing it, because I want to get to Episode 4 as fast as I can, since thats when The Alliance is going to be introduced. Twists and turns all around. I can't wait!**

**Oh, and, PS, I WANT REVIEWS!**


	10. preview 2

**A/N: I've come to a conclusion: after each episode, I will post notes and things about the rest of the season. Just a way of letting you in on the action, and hopefully encouraging you to FREAKING REVIEW!**

**While I'm on that topic, responses to the last couple of reviews I've gotten:**

**To Coppa-Cola: Yes, I know, it was supposed to be. I personally feel as if Beast Hunters has made light of Megatron's threat to take over the world. Like, if he's oh so evil, and he has giant ass fusion cannons, why wouldn't he have just laid waste to the United States? I will not be giving him those cannons, by the way.**

**To my guest reviewer Mr. Albatross: This is exactly the type of review I've been wanting: compliment, then criticism. Thanks! Oh, and I could go on and on about the contents. I'll just mention a few key things though. One, Jack's inadequacy isn't the main conflict. But if I get the chance, I'll check out that Avengers thing. It sounds good. Two, Thirst was absolutely disturbing. I will be bringing Cylas and Airachnid back, but not in that capacity. And finally, taking your advice, I will be re-doing chapter 8 so that the formatting is correct. I was in a rush to get that one out and I copied the document off of my email. That's why it was wonky.**

**Thanks again to all who have reviewed!**

3-55) Predacon Rising Part 3: Team Prime battles the Decepticons at New Kaon, and tries to kill Predaking.

4-56) The Alliance Part 1: A devastating attack on New Kaon unveils a new threat to Autobots and Decepticons alike.

5-57) The Alliance Part 2: Strange revelations surround the mysterious new group, as both sides scramble to adapt to the new situation.

6-58) Opportune Moment: Spies destabilize the Decepticons and provide Team Prime with a golden opportunity.

7-59) Wild Card: A pair of rogues are welcomed into the Decepticons while Team Prime searches for the Alliance's home.

8-60) Familiar Faces: The ship the _Star Hammer_ crashes on Earth, bringing new Autobots, and Team Prime must acclimate them to society as well as protect them from the Decepticons.

9-61) Total War: A simple skirmish between scouts devolves into a three-way battle, and no side is pulling punches.

10-62) Resurrection: Predaking returns with an army of Predacons, while Team Prime seeks a truce with the Alliance

11-63) Shadowed Web Part 1: The Predacon threat forces the Alliance to reconsider a truce with Team Prime.

12-64) Shadowed Web Part 2: Predaking allies with the Decepticons, and the resulting battle causes the US government to turn on all Cybertronians.

13-65) Into the Future: To keep them from despair, Optimus tells Team Prime the legend of the Original Thirteen.

14-66) Supremacy: Predaking betrays the Decepticons, and a recovered Optimus wields the Star Saber against Ripclaw in the first true battle.

15-67) Edge of Chaos: A distraught Predaking descends into the Earth through the volcano that erupted Dark Energon.

16-68) Royal Decree: The Decepticons retake New Kaon, while Team Prime learns of a refuge for Cybertronians on a distant planet.

17-69) Other Forces: Former Predacons with dinosaur alternate forms join Team Prime, and Soundwave steals a powerful tool from Predaking.

18-70) Trial and Error: Shockwave tries to create new super-soldiers for the Decepticons, while Team Prime starts to talk with the Cybertronian colony.

19-71) The Risen King: Megatron launches his final offensive to conquer Earth, while Predaking returns to the surface.

20-72) Desperation: The Decepticons try to flee to Cybertron, with Team Prime in pursuit, but Predaking won't allow them to leave.

21-73) Gears of War: Optimus and Predaking engage in a final, climactic battle in Washington, D.C. to determine the survival of three worlds.

**You might notice, there's not much different from last time. But the fic will evolve. Here's the list of new characters (that I know for sure will be included [same disclaimer]):**

**Autobots**

Ultra Magnus: The former leader of the Wreckers. He's still a bad-ass, and he's also the commander of the crashed ship (It's the same one from the show, just bigger. And I named it. Yay me.). Physically in my version, he's essentially the same body as upgraded Optimus, without the jetpack. And blue not red. He retains the Gatling gun though. I had that idea before they did, by the way. Grrrrrr.

Ironhide: Basically a lot like his movie self physically. Truck alt mode, huge cannons. But his colors are a black and red, not just black. He's a newer generation Wrecker.

Springer: Ironhide's twin. NOT A TRIPLE-CHANGER! His color scheme is green and brown, but his body is a mirror image of Ironhide's. He too is a Wrecker.

Kup: A lot like his G-1 version of course. His servos may be rusty, but he can still kick some slaggin' tailpipe! He basically turns into a green, fixed-up version of that old early 20th century truck that's been made fun of in the episodes Convoy and Operation: Bumblebee Part 1. He's the first Wrecker, Wheeljack's mentor, the best soldier ever. As for personality... Think Hugh Jackman as the X-Men's Wolverine.

Perceptor: He's kind of like a cross between his G-1 form and Que in the movie. He makes a few weapons, but mainly he's a medic. Not a field medic like Ratchet, but a full, hospital-style doctor. He turns into a VW 80's style van that's been turned into a mobile command center.

Blaster: Like in G-1, he's the Autobot version of Soundwave. He has the same vehicle mode, but a more vibrant color scheme of red, yellow, and black. Also unlike Soundwave, he talks. And has a face. Like G-1, he talks in rap.

**Decepticons**

Cylas: Yes, I'm bringing him back. The smart ones will see that I already referenced him. And even if they hadn't read this before, they should've been able to infer that he's alive. In my version of season 3, without giving away too much, Megatron will accept him.

Airachnid: Oh yesssss. She will return. Oh, and after the Autobots (Arcee) went to such trouble to freeze her. No, the Con's didn't find her container like in the show. But they will... Mwah ha ha ha ha!

Blitzwing: So awesome in Animated, but here he will only have one personality. And it will be the "ice" one. The way he comes about is that Shockwave created him using Dreadwing's CNA. So he naturally inherits Dreadwing's loyalty, and alt mode. But it got mixed up with Sockwave's own CNA (I just came up with that _as _I was typing. Literally, just now.) and that makes him a triple change with a tank mode. And gives him his cold personality.

Astrotrain: He's actually a former Predacon, but since the original idea was for him to be a Decepticon, I put him up here. Shockwave did a mind transplant through a cortical psychic patch that made the Pred into a Con. It's quite a primitive creature. My idea was that I wanted to incorporate the Driller from movie 3. Also, I hated the robot mode I'd designed for him. And my friend/editor pointed out that he would have to be huge in order to carry the Cons around. So I combined two dilemmas into one awesome solution.

The Constructicons: Hightower, Longhaul, Scrapper, Bonecrusher, Scavenger, Mixmaster; they're mutated Insecticons (Except Bonecrusher. He's too small. He's just a mutant vehicon.). Together they form Devastator, who's a mix of his movie and G1 forms. So he basically looks like a giant pile of crapped out scrap metal in a rainbow of colors.

**The Alliance**

**This is the group in epsiodes 4 & 5. They come to Earth a cause a bunch of trouble. So look out. But I guarantee you'll end up liking at least one of the characters.**

Liege Maximo: He's the leader, named after one of the 13. There's a _huge _secret here, read episode 4 when it comes out because I don't want to give it away. I'm only going to say that this one has a personal reason to hate both Optimus and Megatron.

Chromia: She's a former seeker, right hand gal to the Liege. She turns into a Cessna airplane. She's also Starscream's sister. Oooh, didn't see that comin', did ya'?

Flareup: She's the left hand gal, of a newer generation. She turns into a jet ski. She's just awesome. D

Polaria: She's one of my OC's, and my own name too. She has a Strika-like personality, so very war-like. She turns into a mag-lev train and manipulates magnetism. The Polarity Gauntlet has nuthin' on her.

Sunstreaker: He's Knockout's former friend, but was never a Decepticon because he hates purple. Yes, _he_. I figured that I've introduced enough femmes. He shares all non-creepy character traits of Knockout and the same vehicle mode, but golden-colored.

Sideswipe: He's former jet vehicon, my friend's semi-OC. He's a melee combat specialist who wields dual swords like Deadpool in Origins: Wolverine. So, yeah, he's a lot like his movie form. Just no wheel-feet.

Sideways: This guy's a former ground vehicon. He's Sideswipe's partner, but the two hate each other. They only work together because it's a melee-range combo that kicks ass. He looks the same as other troopers, except he's got _eight_ frickin' guns. They're in all the places that you could put guns on the RID vehicon toy (Shoulders, two on each arm, and one on each shin so he can kick someone in the face and blast their head off at the same time.). He basically fights like War Machine in Iron Man 2.

Dead End: This is my second true OC. He has the same alt mode as Bulkhead, and a similar paint job, so the two could be confused at a distance. In robot mode, there's no chance. This guy is tall, thin, and has a face not even a mother could love. He basically looks like a Terrorcon from Darkness Rising. He also has jackhammers in is forearms to use as weapons.

Interceptor: This is my friend's true OC. He's the Alliance's scout, point man, second in command, and most loyal soldier; his default robot form earned him the nickname "archangel", and his default alt-mode is a type of plane. He's a descendant of Amalgamous Prime, like a character seen early in season 1. Basically, you know he has to die because he's so over-powered.

Jazz: He's a combination of movie Jazz and movie Jolt with G1 Jazz personality and a convertable alt-mode. He retains movie Jazz's magnetic claws, and he can also use them as Tazers. But he does nt get Jolt's electro-whips.

Prowl: I need to learn more about him. He's going to be more like his G-1 self than Animated. He will turn into a cop car. But other than that, I don't know.

Evac: Okay, I love this guy, so it's too bad I've already decided to kill him. He's kind of like movie Blackout and Grindor. He shares their alt mode, and has a lot of similar features in robot mode. But he looks less feral and more regal. He's also a bad-ass. Just like everyone else.

Mirage: He's their spy. He turns into a smart car/cube car, and he can change his coloration to blend into any background. But his default color is red. His robot mode is so thin he makes ROTF's Reedman look fat. Looks-wise he was inspired by DOTM Dino. But his personality is pure Con.

Jetfire: He's a combo of G1 Silverbolt with his movie self. He turns into a freakin' Osprey heli-plane. That's even more awesome than an SR-71. Besides that, I can't tell you much about him yet. He'll play a large part though. No, he won't do supermode with Optimus. He will have a British accent though.

Jetstorm: Jetfire's twin. 'Nuf said. Oh, and he dies. Early.

**Predacons**

Predaking: Duh. I can't give away too much, but he'll be kind of like Emperor Palpatine crossed with The Fallen from ROTF, and the Red Skull from the new Captain America.

Ripclaw: She's Predaking's second in command and mate. She turns into a dragon and is freakin awesome. The only bad thing about her is that her face is uglier that Dead End's. So she covers it with a veil. Please, any readers of the Islamic Faith, have a bit of understanding, I am not trying to slight your traditions. I just couldn't freakin' draw her face! (sob.)

Scorpinok: He's a combo of his Beast Wars form with his movie form. That's really all there is to it. He's not actually an individual, just one of the generic molds that form the soldiers in Predaking's army.

Rampage: He's another generic form. These guys turn into manticores. Yeah. Bad ass. But that's all there is to tell.

Grimlock: Okay, to clarify, the Dinobot names are used to describe _one_ of the troops that have that character's alt mode. This one is of course a T-rex. He will be the D-bots leader. And he will be just about the same asall his other forms. Just more awesome looking.

Swoop: This one is the flier, the scout, the totally awesome guy. Just sayin'

Snarl: No, they're not Stegosaurs. They're Triceratops. Way better. No offense to Fall of Cybertron, but "Slug" doesn't work for me.

Savage: I changed it from "Noble" because, helloooo, this is a _Predacon_. They're _supposed _to be savages. The idea for him is straight out of Beast Machines. He'll be a combo of Grimwing, Silverbolt, and probably a bit of Nightwing too.

**That's all the new characters. But if you have an idea for an Alliance member or Predacon, send me a review (Oh please do! Once I've had the initial idea, this gets rather tedious.).**

**I have a poll though:**

**When Ratchet goes to the ship, he'll take an Autobot with him. Should it be:**

**Arcee**

**Bulkhead**

**Bumblebee**

**Smokescreen**

**You guys choose!**

**All right, finishing up, I just want to say that there are a few things that I will not change. But I am open to suggestion. Give it to me. I wanna hear it. So REVIEW PEOPLE!**


	11. episode 3 scenes 1-4

Transformers Prime Season 3  
Episode 3/55: Predacon Rising

**A/N: I apologize for the unscheduled hiatus. I've had too many distractions, the real season three among them. But this episode is gonna be epic, I promise.**

**...**

**That's all I got.**

**Review Responses:**

**Random Dude (guest): Chromia is usually Arcee's sister, yes, but in mine she's a Seeker, and thus someone **_**else's**_** sister. And no, I'm keeping the Insecticons. It's not gonna be like Thirst. As for Magnus, check out the cover picture for my story. That's him. If you mean his personality... Maybe. And finally, Ripclaw is a she in Beast Hunters too. In **_**my**_** thing, you might have missed it, she is Predaking's mate. Something truly epic happens with this later.**

**Also, thank you to the **_**two people**_** who actually bothered to vote. Thus Smokescreen gets to go with Ratchet. If the rest of y'all had other ideas, you should've voted. Peace.**

1

Wind swirled over the desert floor, kicking up dust devils in the harsh light. Dunes shifted eternally like the waves on the sea. They rose and fell, covering rocks and ruins, never twice the same. And through it all, the ship never moved.

It lay there, half buried by the small silicon dioxide grains and yet buoyed at the same time. And through a thousand years, it never moved.

Only once had the ship been disturbed in its long vigil. Only once had beings breached its dead walls. Only once had the fatal virus within been unleashed upon the outside world.

Until now.

Moonlight spilled over an unnaturally calm surface of sand. Silver rays turned the desert into a silken wonderland that rivaled all beauty. A single star, departed from the safety of the heavens, shown in the desert. It hovered by the ship, pulsating and quivering, bursting energy. It exploded with light, and the "star" became a swirling vortex of green power.

The ground-bridge twisted idly for a moment, its eddies of light hypnotic as ever. From that whirlpool came a tall orange mecha. Shoulders and back straight, it pushed through the vortex like the light was physically resisting him. Or the other way around.

He nevertheless made it through, clearing the way for a second mecha to stride through with no problem. Shorter, but radiating confidence, the other robot was a mixture of white and brilliant blue, with maroon highlights. Once he exited the bridge, it shrunk into a pinprick, then disappeared.

"What's wrong, Doc?" the second mecha said.

The first was slowly walking over the desert towards the resting hulk of the ship. It paused. "Nothing, Smokescreen. Just... Try and be careful."

Inside the ship, the two mechas crept along the hallway. It was dark, lit only by the pair's personal lights. The walls curved around the edge of the ship, angling down instead of sideways. The ship was on its side. They were walking on the inside wall.

Smokescreen stomped along impatiently. "C'mon Doc, we need to get a move on!"

"Doc" sighed. "If you want, you could scout ahead."

Smokescreen nodded, then ran off. As he disappeared beneath the curve, the entire ship rumbled and slid sideways, re-orienting the ceiling towards the sky. "Doc" staggered, falling against the newly-righted wall. He growled, then set off after Smokescreen.

The young mecha was sprawled on the floor, holding his head. He looked up as "Doc" approached and held out a hand. "Now you know why we go slow."

"Sorry Ratchet," Smokescreen said, and took the hand. "I'm a little high strung, I guess. I... want to finish off the Predacon."

"In time. In time."

The two of them set off down the hall.

Minutes later, Ratchet and Smokescreen stood outside of a tightly shut door.

"Should it be closed?" Smokescreen asked nervously.

"Yes," the doctor replied. He opened a slot in his wrist and withdrew a power cable. He plugged it into a slot next to the door. Energon flowed down the cord and into the ship's circuits. The door ground open, screeching against the frame. Slowly, the holocaust in the room beyond became clear.

Discolored corpses lay everywhere. On the floor, against the walls, hanging from the ceiling. Strangely hued energon formed rivers and puddles on the ground, draining out of the dead mechas. They sat there, still in death, mouths open and limbs splayed in agony. Ratchet and Smokescreen's lights bounced off the slick surfaces, distorting the shadows and highlights of the room. The young bot gulped.

"It's... not a good way to go," he said in a quiet voice.

"No," Ratchet replied. "It's not." The medic knelt at the edge of one energon pool, careful to avoid the infected substance. He withdrew a syringe from his back storage and set to work.

Behind him, Smokescreen nervously scanned the room, casting his light back and forth. Ratchet called over his shoulder, "This might take a while. Why don't you stand guard in the hall? I'm sure we would _both _be more comfortable," he added under his breath. Smokescreen nodded, although the medic couldn't hear, then left. Ratchet began the collection of energon from the infected pool. "Soon," he muttered. "Soon..."

**A/N: So, here is where the title sequence would start. Oh, and my title sequence would be the same as Beast Hunters', except without new Optimus.**

Jack sighed into the stuffy afternoon air. He sat, unmovable, on the log next to the fire pit. None of them, human or Autobot, had gotten any sleep after last night. He was pushing eighteen hours with no shut-eye, and drawing close to what he considered his limit. Miko was already down, having nodded off after Ratchet and Smokescreen left. She had started to lean on his shoulder, but Jack had pushed her over so she was up against Raf instead. The genius didn't have the heart or the energy to protest. Right now, he looked on the verge of collapse, shaking his head to stay awake.

The ground-bridge opened without ceremony off to the side. The Autobots, far more resiliant than any human, padded over to wait. Jack heaved himself up, forcing his feet to move him forward and his back to angle straight. A leader had to look the part as well as actually play the part. Behind him, Jack heard Raf hop off the log, followed by a thud and an "Ow!" as Miko fell over.

He stood in front of Arcee as Ratchet and Smokescreen walked through. "Do you have it?" he asked.

Ratchet nodded and held up a vial of discolored energon. Smokescreen said sarcastically, "It only took a few hours, but we're engine lights green."

"Not exactly," the medic said, brushing past the group and walking towards the trees.

Arcee narrowed her optics. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"To ensure the virus' effectiveness, I must isolate it from the energon, and synthesize more of it," he explained. The medic sat down hard, removing several oddly shaped devices from his storage compartment. The other Autobots exchanged looks.

"You can do that?" Bulkhead asked.

"Naturally." After a moment, Ratchet called out, "Rafael, I require computer assistance."

The genius glanced at Jack for confirmation, who nodded, then walked over. "Uh, sure. Just tell me what to do."

Slowly, the Autobots returned to their chosen spots around the yard. Miko walked over to stand beside Jack, and threw an elbow onto his shoulder. "How's it goin' fearless leader?"

Jack shrugged. "Same old."

"What's gonna happen next?"

He thought for a moment, staring at the horizon. "I don't know," he said at last. "I keep coming back to that fight against the Predacon. I can't help but thinking that... maybe Optimus did choose wrong."

She punched him lightly in the gut. "Dude, you gotta stop feeling sorry for yourself."

Jack sputtered, indignant. "Patuh! What do you know anyway."

"_I know _that you think that it's all _your _fault the Decepticon's captured us."

She had him there. "It was."

"Noooooo. It wasn't." She thought a moment, tilting her head to the side and putting a hand on her hip. She leaned in conspiratorily. "Actually, I think it was Ratchet's fault. He's the one that left us on our own."

Jack half grinned, half grimaced at the memory of that phone call and its aftermath. "Yeah. What crawled up his tailpipe and died?" She giggled in response.

"I heard that!" Ratchet called. "Why don't you two go inside? I imagine that you'd find each other's company much more enjoyable there."

The two teens eyes got wide, and they looked at one another. The could see in each other's faces that they were both thinking the same thing. _Did he really just say that?_ After a moment, Ratchet seemed to realize his mistake. "No, I didn't... I mean-" He rubbed his helm with his palm. "Oh, for the love of Primus. What I meant was, I believe that the house will be much more comfortable than the outside. Now go!"

Jack chuckled in nervous relief. Of course that's what the medic had meant. He walked over to the back steps. He glanced back at Miko, and decided to turn the tables on her for once. "I'm gonna power-down for a few." A pause, then coyly, hand extended: "Care to join me?"

She strutted past and casually slammed a fist into his solar plexus. Jack almost doubled over, but managed to stay on his feet. He rubbed the sore spot as Miko disappeared into the house. "A simple 'no' would've worked," he muttered before following.

2

Light fell for only the second time on the spires of New Kaon. Like the first, it was sunset, the sky rich hues of pink and orange. The smoke from the ruins of Omega Outpost One, as well as from the recent battle at the Decepticon citadel, had finally cleared.

Vehicons were hard at work repairing the damage from Predaking's assault on the Autobots. Though a few areas were still too hot to work, they steadily set about welding the metal tower back together. Hover-scafolds lofted the workers high into the air, while other vehicons tried to salvage what they could from the wreckage below. Above them, the _Nemesis_ circled.

From the bridge of his mighty warship, Megatron stood watch, Starscream and Soundwave to either side. Of them, only the air commander showed frustration, or indeed, any emotion at all.

Megatrons brow lowered as the door to the bridge hissed open. From foot-falls and voices, he could tell that it was Knockout and Shockwave. Neither was expected. Neither was announced.

"-Believe that I'm close to recreating the synthetic formula we recovered from the Autobots," Knockout said as they drew closer. Shockwave didn't reply.

"What are the two of you doing out of the laboratory?" Megatron thundered, turning to glare at them. They bowed in submission, while Starscream cowered.

"My lord," Shockwave began, "The reconstruction is progressing rapidly. At the current rate, I calculate that the fortress shall be fully repaired within seventeen megacycles."

The Decepticon leader appraised the engineer. "Indeed?" he said. "That is far sooner than expected."

"Most of the damage was superficial," Shockwave told him. "Our only areas of grave concern are the energon stores and the ground-bridge."

Starscream suddenly became bold again, coming forward and placing a hand over his spark. "Master, if it pleases you, I shall send my armada to replenish said stores."

Megatron rounded on him. "You, Starscream? Nothing that comes from you will please me." He turned back to Shockwave, who stood. "We can function without the ground-bridge, but I want the energon storage room to be reinforced! Such an accident must never again be allowed to happen."

Shockwave nodded. "There is another concern as well. My efforts are focused on scientific and engineering endeavors. But the Predacon requires care."

Megatron rubbed his chin in thought for a moment, then began to chuckle. "I shall place our pet in hands that are both capable," he said, glancing sideways at Starscream. The Seeker puffed out his chest as he realized the Decepticon leader was speaking of him. Then Megatron continued. "And _expendable_." Starscream's smile evaporated.

"Bu- but _me_?" he sputtered. "Lord Megatron, I beg- I mean, I would not _dream _of siezing such an _honor_."

Shockwave turned his single eye on the Seeker. "Military command of the Predacon is most logical, since my services are required elsewhere." With that damning statement, he stomped past Starscream and exited the bridge. Starscream gulped and glanced at Megatron, a pleading look in his optics. Megatron's gaze never wavered.

"What are you waiting for Starscream?" he asked, voice dripping false modesty and sympathy. He gestured towards the door. "_Sieze_ the... _honor_."

The Seeker turned away, quivering in anger and fear. He stalked towards the exit, servos tight, metal plates clattering. "Oh, I will, _Lord _Megatron," he muttered. "I _will_."

**A/N: No, Starscream's not back to his normal, treacherous self. He's just pissy.**

3

Smokescreen was the youngest of all the Autobots on Team Prime. He wasn't a warrior, or even a scout like Bumblebee. He'd never even graduated from the Elite Guard. That wasn't to say that he wasn't good. After all, he'd been assigned to guard Alpha Trion and the Iacon Hall of Records, and of course he was now a member of Team Prime. He'd even gotten a couple of Relics for 'em. Yet, he was young and rash, notorious for breaking the rules. He wasn't a soldier, just a grunt who got lucky. He wasn't a real deep thinker. But occasionally, he had his moments. Occasionally, he had a good idea. Occasionally, he was brilliant.

This wasn't one of those times.

Smokescreen felt the pain building in his neural cluster and his neck servo. His processors whirred, electrons hopping, as he looked down at the object in front of him. It had lain in the yard for days, propped against the house, unnoticed by any of them as they went about their business. It was out of the way, so naturally they would. Only he had stopped to see it.

"Hey Ratchet," Smokescreen called over his shoulder.

The medic sat by the trees, engrossed in his project. As Smokescreen had stood there, the computer had just begun to synthesize more of the virus that they had risked their sparks to retrieve. The medic remained close by, but had picked up the components he'd been working with earlier. At Smokescreen's call, Ratchet looked up, annoyed despite the fact that the virus production process was fully automated. "Yes, what is it?"

The young bot turned. "The Forge of Solus Prime repaired the Star Saber, right?"

"Well... yes, but..." Ratchet replied, unsure where he was going with the subject.

Smokescreen looked down at the relic. "Then... couldn't we use it to fix Optimus?"

Ratchet put down the parts. He knew that this would have to be handled gently. Otherwise, Smokescreen's characteristic belligerance would surface, and who knows what damage might result. "The Forge is a relic of the Primes. As such, only a Prime can wield it's power."

"What about Megatron? He used it to create the Dark Star Saber."

Ratchet had never seen the blade Smokescreen refered to, but he knew of it. And he shuddered at the thought. "Megatron desecrated the resting place of a Prime, daring to attach its arm to himself. No Autobot would stoop to such a level. For _any_ purpose."

Smokescreen turned away from Ratchet, staring at the Forge, processors whirring.

From his post, Ratchet watched the youth. The medic's projects beckoned, but he ignored them. Ratchet recognized the fire that burnt in Smokescreen. It was the same drive that had resided in Megatronus, and Orion Pax, and even Jack. Two paths were open to Smokescreen, and he would require careful guidance to stay on that of righteousness. Such guidance was not Ratchet's specialty. The youth needed Optimus. They _all_ needed Optimus.

Smokescreen started as he heard Ratchet's welding torch light. He turned around, expecting to see the medic hard at work on some trivial project that would only prove fruitful at some unknown point in the future. In that case, he would-

Smokescreen stopped. Ratchet wasn't doing anything frivolous. Far from it.

The medic knelt over Optimus' prone form. He was slowly and neatly welded the gaps in their leader's armor shut. Smokescreen watched, astonished, as Ratchet extended his microtorch and began the precision work of repairing Optimus' faceplate. A wave of gratitude surged over the youth.

Over his shoulder, Ratchet said to him, "Don't get your hopes up. I can repair his wounds. But Optimus must find the will to return to us... on his own." He paused. "But I can make the journey easier," the medic said, and resumed welding.

Watching from across the yard, a warm smile slowly crossed Smokescreen's face.

4

Starscream stood before the door to the _Nemesis_' flight deck, energon prod in hand. He had never felt a feeling like this, a deep despair that crept into his chest and clenched around his spark, that dragged him down and made him feel like he would collapse at any moment. The Seeker gulped, drawing in air. There was no way around it. He had to go out there. had to face the beast.

The door slowly ground open, sunlight spilling into the bay. With the light, Starscream craftily manipulated his appearance, straightening his armor, forming his face into a contemptuous sneer, posturing himself. He stalked out onto the deck, the prod behind his back.

There, in the center, was the object of his fear: the predacon. An involuntary shudder worked its way though Starscream's servos. The beast's optics narrowed dangerously as he approached. Starscream ignored the low growl that emerged from its throat.

"_I _am your commanding officer, beast," he said gesturing with one hand. "As such, _you will _obey my every word."

Starscream was aware of the far doors to the deck opening, and the steady trod of vehicons' feet. Oh, good. He had an audience.

Starscream had overseen the arrangement of a space for the predacon, just inside the warship. Beyond the bay doors. He simply had to get the incorrigable monstrosity to go in. He stalked around it slowly, and the beast's optics followed him. "I _order _you to crawl _into _your kennel, _right now_!"

The predacon swung its neck around with a growl, facing away from Starscream. A clear message: _No._ Starscream snarled. "I said _go already_!" He jabbed the prod into the beast, directly behind its forearm. It shrieked in pain as electricity coursed through it, jaws parting impossible wide.

The energy shut off almost instantly, and the pain ceased within moments. The predacon swung around and hissed at Starscream. The Seeker cowered instinctively, terrified. There was a familiar ticking, and then the beast's maw glowed white hot. Starscream ducked as flames shot over him, the heat searing even though it hadn't-

Touched him?

Starscream reached up and tentatively reached for the crest on his head. The tips of his talon brushed it, and a wave of agony swept through him. He grasped at the spine instinctively. "Gah! Auh-ee-augh!" he cried, dancing about as it slowly cooled. Once the pain ceased, Starscream glared at the beast. Behind him, he could hear the vehicons' muffled laughter. "Okay," he muttered. Starscream drew himself up. "Is that the best you can do, beast? Why, I have suffered _far _worse at the hands of Lord Megatron! Go ahead. Do your-"

Starscream's words were cut off as the predacon dived forwards and grasped his arm in its maw. The beast shook its head and neck, long crests waving. Starscream shrieked girlishly as he was swung back and forth. His shoulder was being wrenched out its socket, and his processor felt pained as it was crushed against his helm. "Aaaaaaaaaaugh! Aaaaah-ha-ha-ha! Release me! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!" he shouted. The vehicons were laughing openly now, slapping their thighs.

Suddenly, all of the pain Starscream felt, ceased. He flew through the air and slammed into the wall above the bay doors. The impact left a sizable dent.

A moment later Starscream fell to the deck. He hit hard, and closed his optics, the world spinning. Starscream shook his head. He looked up and saw the vehicons standing there, still laughing. "You there!" he shouted, pointing at them. They stopped laughing. "Get the beast into its kennel," he ordered as he stood up. The vehicons faces showed no emotion, but their mannerisms told him they were suitably terrified. Starscream tossed the energon prod, which he had miraculously held onto, at the vehicons feet. They backed away as it clattered to the ground. "When I return," he hissed, the sound as malevolent as the predacon's, "I expect that _monster _to be _in_._ There_!" He pointed. They nodded reluctantly. Starscream stalked away growling, and the door closed behind him. From behind it, the screams of the vehicons and predacon mingled, along with the hiss of flames and twang of blaster fire. Starscream smiled cruelly.

**A/N: Again, I am so sorry about the wait. And this episode's not even half over! Gah! The only reason I'm putting it out already is to tell my followers that I will be condensing the episodes so that each chapter corresponds to a full episode, starting with episode 4.**

**Well, you know the drill. Comment, review, give ideas. Thank you!**


	12. episode 3 scenes 5-bonus

**A/N: One review from my one new follower. Well, I guess this fic isn't awesome to the rest of you no more.**

**Review Responses... sorry, **_**Response**_**:**

**Rafaelplusmikey: I whole-heartedly agree. In fact, I think it'll take a while for them to be able to realize there's anything really going on, and what with him being the leader and all, he won't want to deal with something like that right now. Plus, ya' know, Sierra.**

**Okay, I'm going to use something that was in the show, but that I forgot to mention in this fic. I'm going to go back and put it in though. Just go with it for right now.**

5

There were times when Jack thought that Ratchet specifically designed all of his equipment's alarms to sound like a microwave. It was the one sound that no one can ignore. Thus, when the synthesizer began shrieking that afternoon, they didn't have to endure it for long.

Ratchet stopped the alarm, then turned to the team, Plague in hand. "The virus has finished synthesizing," he announced unnecessarily.

"Sweet!" Miko shouted, jumping into the air. Bumblebee fist-bumped Bulkhead, beeping happily. Even June flashed a smile at Fowler.

Jack strode up to the medic. "Now what?" he asked. "We kind of lost the element of surprise."

Arcee nodded. "The Cons will be all over us as soon as we exit the ground-bridge." Bumblebee whined, shoulders slumping.

"Maybe," Ratchet muttered. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Or maybe not."

The others exchanged confused looks as Ratchet picked up the ground-bridge remote control. He typed in a command, and the needle jumped to green. "As I suspected," Ratchet said. "With their groundbridge disabled, so too are the Decepicons' defenses keeping us from groundbridging into their fortress." He raised his optics as Miko and Raf exchanged glances.

"So... we could sneak inside?" she asked.

"Wrecker-style," Bulkhead added as he pounded his fists together.

Jack thought about it. "Once we're inside... how do we find the Predacon?"

"How 'bout... a Cybertronian dog whistle?" Miko asked innocently.

They stared.

"What?" she said, hands automatically going to her hips.

Jack appraised her with new eyes. "You Wreckers are a lot smarter than you let on."

Miko and Bulkhead jerked their heads around warily. Jack watched, confused. "Uh..."

Miko leaned close conspiratorily. "The last time I said something like that to Bulk, Breakdown showed up."

Jack ndded with understanding, then looked at Ratchet. "Cybertronian dragon-whistle. Can you do it?"

Ratchet looked at him. "An audio device specifically tuned to be heard only by the sensors of a beast that I know almost nothing about?" They all waited. "Give me a few hours," the medic said as he turned back to his tools and started working.

Jack watched as all of the members of Team Prime gradually dispersed, different levels of hope on their faces. Raf went back to his computer; June and Fowler went back inside the house, and Jack tried hard not to think about that too much; Bulkhead went over to Wheeljack and sat beside his friend; the rest of the Autobots scattered across the yard. Miko, unnervingly, remained close by. Jack reached into his pocket and withdrew the Key to Vector Sigma. He looked at it, despising it so much yet understanding why it was necessary. Then he looked across the yard to where Optimus lay. Slowly, he approached the slumbering titan.

"Hey, Optimus," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "I... guess I understand you a little better now. As much as anyone can." His eyes fell downward to the Key. "There's a lot that I wish I could ask you, about what I'm doing. I just have to go by my instincts, like when I restored your memories." Jack raised the Key up like he had then. "I guess..." His voice trailed off as he saw the Key flash brightly. He llooked at it, then at Optimus. It flashed again, and this time Jack saw a corresponding flah in Optimus' chest. "Optimus?" he whispered.

For a long moment nothing happened, and Jack felt the same hopelessness settle over him again. Then, from deep inside the mecha's body, he heard Optimus take a ragged breath. "Optimus!" he practically shouted.

Smokescreen appeared by Jack's side, just as Ratchet exclaimed, "What's going on?"

"Optimus?" the youth said. "Can you hear me?"

Now Ratchet was running over too, followed by the other Autobots. Fowler and June appeared on the porch as the whole house shook with their footsteps. "What in the name of Uncle Sam's britches is goin' on out here?" he said, but was ignored.

Jack was crowded up against Optimus as the Autobots surrounded their true leader. Over the clamor of their excitement he heard Ratchet's voice, rising in intensity. "No! No no no no NO!" he said, nearly shouting at the end. They all turned to him in alarm. The medic gestured towards the spark monitor, where several of the lines were spiking hard.

"Ratchet?" Smokescreen said, "What's happening?"

"Optimus' body is rejecting the stasis," he said as he worked. "That means he is either waking up early-" The Autobots' faces lit up. "_Or_," he went on, "He is... he's..."

"He's what, Ratchet?" Arcee barked.

"Or else... he's dying."

They all turned to watch Optimus, their faces, Human and Cybertronian alike, identical masks of horror. Slowly, the mecha drew in another rasping breath. Then he spoke. "Who... stands... before me?"

They looked at one another confused. "It's us, Optimus," Smokescreen replied. "The whole team."

"Who... beckons?" Optimus murmured, and the others exchanged glances. Optimus' head rolled to the side.

Smokescreen's gaze met Optimus'. Immediantly, he was transported somewhere else, outside of time and space...

_Optimus stood just ahead of him, his back to Smokescreen. Darkness lay everywhere, save for in front of them. A massive, glaring expanse of white drew them in. Smokescreen was tempted to reach out to Optimus, who looked strangely intact, but something stopped him. He felt that this was not something he should interrupt._

_"Is it truly you?" Optimus said, speaking towards the light. Smokescreen edged forward until he could make out a startlingly familiar figure among the glare. "Alpha Trion?" Optimus finished._

6

_Smokescreen watched as the white figure held up a hand to Optimus. "I stand before you now my student," it said, the voice making them certain that it was Alpha Trion. "But know that it is not yet your time."_

_"I do not fear joining with the Allspark," Optimus replied._

_"Your concern should not be for your own fate, but for that of the Matrix of Leadership," Alpha Trion stated. "When your time does come, you must pass on the Matrix before you join the Allspark. For it is written in the Covenant of Primus that when the last of the Primes passes, an Autobot shall rise from the ranks to wield the Matrix as those in ancient times against a great evil."_

_Optimus paused, pondering this. "Then this is not my time to pass. Tell me, teacher, how then do I see you now?"_

_Alpha Trion appeared to smile. "There is much I have not told you, young Optimus. I have not yet joined with the Allspark. But my time in your world had come to an end."_

_Smokescreen felt a rising joy. Alpha Trion was alive! But what had he meant by..._

_Optimus gasped. "You are an interdimensional traveler!"_

_"I could not keep the truth from you," Trion said. "I have lived many times. Yours is not the first world I have overseen. Nor will it be the last._

_"Now, Optimus, you must go," he continued. "Your team needs you." The image began to brighten, white light spilling out like water overflowing a cup. "Do not fear. We shall meet again..."_

Smokescreen gradually became aware of Arcee shaking his shoulder, while the others looked on, concerned. He glanced down at Jack and saw that the boy's eyes were downcast. "What... Did the rest of you see that?" Smokescreen asked.

Bulkhead and Bumblebee exchanged glances. "See what?" the Wrecker replied.

Smokescreen thought about it for a moment. He would sound crazy if he told them what he'd seen. "It was nothing," he said. "I must need to power down. Not enough sleep-time."

The others exchanged glances, then peered sideways. "At least Optimus is on the mend," Bulkhead said.

Smokescreen looked over and saw Ratchet disconnecting the stasis inducer. The spark monitor once again beeped its steady monotone. "Yeah," he said quietly.

If only they knew.

7

Megatron stood next to his blackened, damaged throne. He could easily have had it repaired, but he whimsically had decided to keep it. The scorch marks and melted bits were reminders of his beast's awesome power.

Beneath him, every Decepticon had assembled. Rows upon rows of insecticon warriors and vehicon drones; Starscream and his entire Seeker Armada; Knockout, Soundwave, and Shockwave with all of the new recruits; and the crown jewel: the Predacon.

They all watched him expectantly, even the beast, waiting for their leader to reveal why they were gathered. Megatron slowly breathed in, feeling the relief of cool air over his circuitry, and the warm sensation of absolute power in his spark. At last, he began to speak.

"We Decepticons have been deprived of our rightful place, as the head of a new age on Cybertron!" he proclaimed. "We have declared this world _our_ domain. We will soon conquer it, and plaster its unworthy indigenous beneath molten steel!" The crowd roared their approval. "We will build our gleaming cities over their bones!" They applauded exuberantly, cheering at their leader's vision of what was to come. "The only thing preventing this glorious future from manifesting is the accursed _Autobots_." The name came out as a malevolent hiss. "They have doomed our planet to be a cosmic gravestone, and now as we try to build a new home here, they oppose us further. But with our collective might, we will overcome these rebels! Their shattered corpses will pave the road to our future, and _nothing_ will stand in our way!"

Megatron grinned evilly as he stepped back from the edge of the dais. Beneath him, the crowd cheered on. _Simple-minded fools_, he thought. Not for nothing had he entered politics on Cybertron. His words could twist the thoughts of Primus himself.

As Megatron walked away, he was joined by Starscream, who gently applauded- though not for the same reason as the others. "Bravo, master," he said. "You do have a way with words."

Megatron glared sideways at his air commander. "Flattery will not spare you my wrath," he snarled.

The Seeker bowed modestly. "Of course, my lord."

They stepped through the open doorway into the halls of New Kaon. Several minutes passeed in silence but for the sound of their footfalls. At last, it was broken. Predictably, by Starscream.

"I would hope to find you reason to show me favor again, master."

Megatron stopped and stared down at his second in command. "And what _reason _could possibly be so compelling?"

"Well, uh..." he stumbled for a moment. Then: "Why, if I had not handed over the relics, the Autobots might never have found the nerve to attack us and retrieve their comrade!" Megatron raised an eyebrow. "I heard them talking before I arrived. They did not think it worth the risk!"

"And now we have lost our prisoner! The Autobots have increased their number!" The Decepticon leader growled at him. "You will have to think of something better than that, Starscream."

He shifted his glance sideways and angled his wings, then looked up and shrugged, chuckling nervously. "Eh heh..."

Megatron rolled his optics and resumed walking. "Have your armada ready to strike at a moments notice," he said over his shoulder.

Behind him, Starscream shuddered in anger, plates rattling. He knocked one fist against his thigh. "Of course, my liege," he muttered.

**A/N: perfect moment for a commercial.**

The _Nemesis _drifted slowly through the air around New Kaon, widening its circle to prevent further storms from gathering. Nevertheless, the warship remained in close proximity to the Decepticon citadel.

The vehicon legions had assembled on the ship's flight deck, more ready than ever to attack the Autobots. The insecticon horde had been equally prepared, hanging off the wings and underbelly of the _Nemesis_. When the Decepticons had first arrived onboard, they had been excited, taut, hardened. But hours had passed, and phalanxes of battle-ready troops had dissolved into clusters of gossiping fools.

Starscream stood above them, at the bow of the ship, desperately attempting to form some kind of order. "All of you, get back into formation! An Autobot assault could begin at any time! We must be prepared to-"

"_Starscream!_"

The Seeker cringed as Megatron's anger-filled voice came over the comm. He turned away and activated his own link. "Yes, my lord?"

Perched on his throne, Soundwave behind him, Megatron watched his entire domain. And he was not pleased. "Can you not maintain control over my troops?" he thundered.

"_They are growing anxious. It has been days already since the attack. I cannot reach out and force each of them to obey!_"

Megatron growled. "That is irrelevant! We must remain forever vigilant, ready to strike. We must destroy the Autobots as soon as they appear! We must-"

He was cut off as a massive explosion rocked the fortress. When the shaking finally stopped, and he had climbed to his feet, Megatron snarled into his comlink, "We must scramble all units, and erradicate the invaders who have infiltrated our citadel."

8

Jack felt an enormous sense of Deja Vu as Bulkhead detonated his grenade. The only difference was that this time, Ratchet was with them, not Wheeljack. And they knew where they were going.

Jack led the charge up the outer spiral, smashing every vehicon that got in their way. This time, there would be no blast doors to stop them. Higher and higher they climbed, until the helix ended at a "T". From there, Jack led them left, to an elevator. Ratchet programmed it to go as high as it could- and they stepped off onto the staging area.

The Autobots immediantly recognized the throne on top of the dais as being Megatron's, meaning they were just as high up as they could be. The sky above them was a blaze of orange and purple as the sun set. Underneath the dais was a set of doors, which would allow them to re-enter the maze of the citadel- exactly as planned. They charged.

When they were almost there, the doors opened to reveal Soundwave. Jack held up an armor clad hand, and the Autobots stopped. For a moment they stood opposite, waiting.

And then suddenly Jack was falling.

He landed hard on the desert floor, followed by the other Autobots. "What was that?" Jack groaned out as he sat up.

"Soundwave pulled one of his relocation tricks," Ratchet said as he got to his feet, glancing upwards at the closing ground-bridge vortex. The others all groaned.

Jack looked around and realized they were just outside of the citadel, still in the right place, though a few thousand feet lower than they wanted to be. Above them, he saw the Decepticon warship. It was turning towards them.

Megatron stood on the bridge of the _Nemesis_ and watched as the human got up. It was the one known as 'Jack'. Optimus' favorite pet. Jack looked up towards the ship. Megatron could've sworn he was looking strait at him. It unsettled him.

"Soundwave," he said into the comm. "Let's give our latest recruits a chance to shine."

The Autobots turned in surprise as the ground-bridge portal opened next to them. They turned to Ratchet.

"Its not ours," he said cautiously, backing away. Jack did the same.

A deep thundering noise ripped apart the calm of the desert. It steadily grew louder, but it was Jack who recognized it first, even through the distortion of the ground-bridge: the thud of helicopter blades.

"Get down!" he shouted, tackling Arcee and Smokescreen just as the most massive freaking chopper Jack had ever seen flew out of the vortex right over their heads. Bulkhead was the furthest away from the portal, and didn't even have time to duck before the chopper _transformed_ and smashed a metal fist into his jaw. The mecha turned back towards the others while Bulkhead flew away. He towered over Jack in the Apex Armor, slate blue with turquoise highlights. The chopper blades and its armor formed a cape on his back, giving him a regal appearance that wasn't matched by his feral face. He watched as the Autobots looked up to see three more Decepticons stride through the ground-bridge portal before it closed. "We have our orders," he said to the Decepticons, before moving to engage the armor-clad human. They nodded, and the battle was joined.

Bulkhead had only just gotten to his feet when one of the Decepticons had knocked him back again. He looked up and saw that it was actually a thick bodied femme, still well proportioned, but just... bigger. Actually taller than him "If you think I'm gonna take easy on you 'cause you're a girl," the Wrecker huffed, "You've got another thing coming." He extended his mace and took a swipe at her.

Which bounced away before it could even touch her. He'd had a similar experience fighting Breakdown over the Polarity Gauntlet. "I'd expect nuthink less," the femme growled with a thick Russian accent. She drew back a fist that crackled with energy, then slammed him in his midsection. He skidded backwards, friction burning his feet. "My name is Polaria!" she announced, hitting him again.

_Well, that explains it_, Bulkhead thought. She had magnetic powers _built right in_. Great.

He shifted to vehicle mode and drove off a little ways, then turned around and ran strait towards her. When he drove a fist towards her, _she_ was the one who flew backwards this time, not him. Bulkhead smirked and went on the offensive.

Smokescreen circled his opponent warily. The Decepticon was fairly large, about Bulkhead's size. If he stood up he would be huge, but he was hunched over and thin. Smokescreen wasn't fooled into thinking he was weak though. The Con's face looked like it'd been run over and half melted. Not pretty.

Behind his adversary, Smokescreen caught sight of Bumblebee, sneaking up. Their optics locked, and just that quick, they knew what they had to do. Smokescreen rolled to the side and fired shot after shot at the Decepticon, who mearly shrugged them off. Then Bumblebee kicked out his legs.

The Con went down hard, shaking the ground- which kept on shaking. Bumblebee and Smokescreen slipped and fell, while the Decepticon slowly got to his feet. As soon as his hands left the ground, the earthquake stopped. Bumblebee and Smokescreen exchanged startled glances as they, too, got up off the ground.

The Con's face split in a viscious grin, which only made it look worse. "It looks like you've run into a..._ Dead End_," he laughed, his voice like gravel being put through a mulcher. Then his arm transformed into an odd looking gun, which he pointed at the ground. Energy discharged in waves, and the earth opened to swallow the Autobots whole. Bumblebee barely caught the edge as he fell. Smokscreen reached out and grasped the other Bot's ankle.

Above them, Dead End smiled and stomped down on the Autobots hand. When it didn't let go, he did it again. And again. And again.

Bumblebee let out a fearful whine as he felt his fingers start to slip.

Mirage grinned as he snuck up on the Autobot femme. She was backed up against an outcropping, blasters ready. He was right in front of her, and she still couldn't find him. He almost laughed. Sadly, his claws were'nt sharp enough to cut through her armor. Fortunately, he had other means at his disposal. He flicked out his arm blades, so similar to her own yet so different.

When he was barely a meter away, she finally was past his distortion field. He'd activated it right after the initial attack. Her optics widened in surprise as he just _appeared_. She immediantly started firing at him, but he mearly backed away and shifted sideways. Silently, he leapt to the top of the outcropping and leaned over, placing his face right in front of hers. "Peek-a-boo!" he shouted, and she moved her blasters up, but he was already gone. He allowed himself to grin as he observed her breathing heavily, angry and afraid. He moved to her left and dissabled the cloaking field. "I'm over here," he said casually. Once again, she whipped around, and he allowed her to glimpse him before he disappeared. She moved out away from the rock, and he circled her. He let out a low, evil chuckle.

"Quit hiding!" she snarled.

He turned off the field again. "Who's hiding?" She leapt for him, but he stepped aside and disappeared. He walked around her, weaving so that she sometimes saw him, sometimes didn't. "How do you fight that which you cannot see?" he said, then knocked her down.

Jack ducked as the helicopter-Con sent another powerful blow his way. When it overswung, he stepped forward and slammed a punch of his own into its midsection. It doubled over, and Jack slammed an elbow down onto its back. The Decepticon went down, but immediantly started to get back up, shaking its head. It looked over just in time to see Jack's foot about to connect with its face.

CRASH!

With his adversary down for the count, Jack was free to take a look around. Ratchet had somehow managed to stay out of the fight and was setting up the Predacon-whistle, and Bulkhead was faring well in his battle. That was good news. When he turned around, he saw one of the Decepticons circling Arcee, who was slashing at thin air, and another Decepticon stomping on the edge of a huge crack- _Where did that come from? _he thought- from which he could here Bumblebee's frantic beeps. That was bad news.

Jack reached down and grabbed the helicopter robot's feet. He heaved sideways, spinning it around until he felt it hit Arcee's opponent, then he threw it across the desert to smash into the Decepticon trapping Bumblebee. Jack came to a stop facing Arcee as she quickly grabbed the Con who'd been tormenting her and smashed him against a rock.

Two down.

Looking around, Jack saw Bumblebee and Smokescreen climb out of the crack and re-engage their Decepticon. Smokescreen drove a fist into Dead End's ugly face, and he spun around in time to catch a blow from Bumblebee that sent him flying, and left him down and out.

Megatron saw Dead End fall, and realized that only Polaria was left. She wouldn't last long against all of the Autobots. So much for new recruits.

"Starscream!" he said over the comm. "Now is the time. Launch all units!"

The vehicons and insecticons overheard their leader give the order. In seconds, they converted to their alternate forms and flew down towards the battlefield.

9

Jack heard the insecticons' battle scream roll over the landscape, and knew that they were in trouble. "Incoming!" he said to the others. "Protect Ratchet!"

Jack narrowed his eyes as the Decepticons opened fire. Time to see what his suit could really do. He hunched down, then leapt into the air with all his might. The Autobots on the ground heard a sonic boom as he took off, and looked up in wonder as it seemed one of their own had learned to fly.

In reality, Jack began to flail as he reached the top of his jump. He was now in free fall, and impact with the earth from this height... He doubted he'd survive, even with the Armor.

Then the vehicons were all around him, their jet engines having carried them down far quicker than gravity had latched onto him. Jack reached out and grasped one of them by the cockpit, feeling metal crumple. He flipped the vehicon upward, but that only threw them into a corkscrew. Desperately, he ripped off the roof. Jack deactivated the Apex Armor and dropped into the pilot seat, feeling like his face was being ripped off by the g-force. He quickly grabbed the controls and angled the jet into a slow, shallow spiral. Seeing the other Decepticons rushing downwards, Jack used the vehicon's wing blasters to his advantage, strafing the enemy with each turn.

Until one of them blasted him. The shot clipped his ride's wings, once again sending him into free fall. Jack reactivated the Apex Armor, causing what was left of the vehicon to be shredded, and dropped to the ground only a few hundred feet below.

By that time, the Decepticons had swarmed his fellow Autobots. They made a protective ring around Ratchet, who had yet to activate the whistle- at least as far as Jack could tell. But four Autobots versus about four _thousand_ Decepticon troops, all of whom were well rested and full of fresh energon, would not end well.

Which is where Jack came in. He barrelled through the enemy, knocking vehicons aside and splattering insecticons beneath his feet. In seconds he'd arrived by his friends' side. Jack grabbed the nearest vehicon and smashed it into its fellows, freeing Arcee and Bumblebee to aid Smokescreen. The vehicons, not having learned anything since the last fight, continued to shoot at Jack in the Apex Armor, while the insecticons ruined their claws by slashing at him. One by one they fell to metal clad fists.

Unfortunately, Jack was the only one faring well. The others were all being pushed backward. In such close quarters, blasters were useless. And there was no room to go hand to hand. Now it was only a matter of time.

Megatron watched triumphantly as his troops swarmed over the Autobots. In moments, there would be nothing left but scrap. This, he decided, was what victory felt like.

The next second he was hunched over on the floor, covering his audio receptors, as the most intense shrieking noise imaginable sent waves of pain radiating through his processor. Megatron heard groans and cries from around him as the rest of the crew was effected, the sound incapacitating each of them entirely.

_This is the Autobots doing_, he thought, as much as he could through the haze of pain. He would not have thought them worthy of such tactics, but only they could have unleashed a weapon as powerful as this. As unconsciousness closed in, Megatron's managed to make out one other sound: the enraged roar of the Predacon.

Time stopped on the battle field as Ratchet's device let out the most god-awful screeching sound that Jack could imagine. It was loud, but it wasn't effecting him the same way it was some of the others. The vehicons and insecticons were rolling on the ground in agony, shrieking, though Jack could only tell by the insecticons' open mouths; Bulkhead and his Decepticon opponent had dropped like flies; Bumblebee was slowly collapsing. Ratchet, Smokescreen, and Arcee were still awake, but keeping their distance from the sonic emitter, hands clasped over their helms.

Jack felt a chill as he heard the Predacon roar, louder than the 'whistle'. A moment later the beast crashed to the ground. Everyone within a hundred meters was blown backwards, including Jack, leaving the monster alone with the device. When his head finally cleared, Jack's ears were ringing from silence. He looked up and saw the Predacon savaging the remains of the emitter, metal and dirt flying from its claws.

He looked sideways and saw Ratchet and Arcee getting up. Smokescreen had knocked his head against a rock and wouldn't be waking anytime soon. It was up to them. Jack gave Ratchet the tiniest of nods. _Now_.

The medic pulled out the syringe of Cybonic Plague and handed it gently to Arcee. Taking it, she shifted to vehicle form and drove off towards their living nightmare.

Megatron blinked slowly, drifting in and out of consciousness. Carefully, he sat up, his processor feeling like it was on fire. The last thing he remembered was that horrible noise. No- that wasn't quite right. The last thing he remembered was hearing the Predacon roar loud enough to be heard over the terrible noise.

_The Predacon!_

Megatron looked up at the screens and saw the Predacon clawing at something on the ground, most likely the remains of the Autobot's weapon. Around the beast, the troops were beginning to wake, and the Autobots were...

Standing there?

That made no sense; surely they would attempt to decimate his forces, or return to New Kaon, or...

Destroy the _Predacon_.

Megatron's optics spotted Arcee at last, weaving through the fallen combatants in vehicle form. Heading directly for the beast.

"Stop her!" he snarled into the comlink.

Arcee dodged around another body, then transformed back to robot mode and did a backflip over another. She broke out into an all out run, legs and spark pounding. In another few seconds she'd be in the clear and she would-

Be... falling?

Arcee watched in horror as the Plague syringe slipped out of her grasp, landed a few feet away, and skittered to the edge of the clearing. Then she crashed to the ground, a vehicon's fingers wrapped around her heel. Around her, the Decepticons all got up off the ground and closed in, blasters out. An insecticon picked her up by the throat and threw her across the desert. She hit some hundreds of feet away, and rolled until she crashed against a rock outcropping. Arcee moaned pitifully, but got up to face the enemy.

Across the way, Jack and Ratchet watched with equal horror as their chances went from slim to none. The troops around them woke up as well, and the pair realized that they were already surrounded.

"Ignore the medic," one of the vehicons said to his fellows, extending a blaster. "He'll offer no trouble. But destroy the human."

Jack's heart sank. He couldn't defeat the entire Decepticon army on his own, along with the Predacon, which was beginning to look around as it realized the device was scrap. They were toast.

Ratchet backed away as the Decepticons closed around Jack. He wouldn't be harmed in the Apex Armor, but even that wouldn't allow him to destroy the Predacon. Their only chance had been with the Cybonic Plague, and now that was out of reach.

Ratchet's optics narrowed. He'd never let his team down before. He wouldn't now. There was one way that they could succeed, one way that would allow them to use the Cybonic Plague. He'd promised himself that he would never...

But now he had to.

Ratchet reached inside of his storage compartment and pulled out a syringe of bright green fluid. He plunged the needle into his servo. "Primus forgive me," he muttered, then pulled the trigger.

10

Liquid fire poured into Ratchet's veins. It burned harshly, threatening to bring blackness crashing down, but he fought it off. His teammates needed him _now_, not in several minutes. Energy coursed through him like he'd never known, and he knew that he could do more, be more. _Was_ more.

Ratchet looked up at the Decepticons with vibrant green optics. "Time to amputate," he snarled, and extended his blades.

The vehicon at the back of the group surrounding Jack turned as he heard footfalls behind him, just in time to see the Autobot medic's foot make contact with his face. As he fell, he saw the orange and white mecha vault over the other Decepticons, transform, and drive away.

Ratchet drove through the legions of Decepticons, the square bumper of his ambulance making an excellent battering ram. Before he could reach the edge of the mosh pit of death, an insecticon picked up his ambulance and threw him across the desert, as if that would stop him. He transformed in midair, grabbed a vehicon's helm on passing, and used it as a pivot point to land upright. Bonus, the vehicon was launched sideways into the troops surrounding Arcee, freeing her for a moment. She looked around for her rescuer, and was surprised to see _him_. "Ratchet?" she said in awe.

He couldn't hear her. He was too busy slashing his way through the Decepticon ranks. "Hoo-ah!" he shouted as he swiveled and slammed a fist into an insecticon's surprised face. The bug flew backwards, not under its own power for once, clearing a path so that Ratchet could run forward and scoop up the Cybonic Plague.

Catching sight of him, or more accurately, the Autobot logo on his chest, the Predacon narrowed its optics. It opened its four jaws, shrieked, and charged towards the hated Autobot. Like a coward, the Autobot ran, shouting. The Predacon could not understand the words, but it didn't need to. It followed its enemy across the battlefield, flames seeping out of it maw.

At the last second before the Predacon caught up to him, Ratchet dove to the side, allowing the beast to barrel past and smash into the rows of troops. Momentum unbalanced the monstrous creature, and when it hit, it rolled over into the middle of them. It snarled visciously, claws shredding the Decepticons without even meaning to, creating a mountain of dead bodies before it was able to right itself. The beast hissed malevolently at Ratchet from the top of the pile of death. Instead of running this time, though, Ratchet charged towards the Predacon. He ducked under a clawed limb and twisted to avoid the scythe-tail that swung past and embedded itself in the ground. With a slight ticking noise, the creature shot a blast of flame at Ratchet, and he leapt over it. The plasma stream lit the vehicons' spilled energon and turned the area into a blazing blue inferno. Ratchet's emerald optics had time to take in the sight of his fellow Autobots in the background, now awake and fighting, before he crashed down on the Predacon's back.

The beast twisted violently underneath him, but Ratchet grapped its spines and swung up. He landed straddling the creatures neck, and he gripped his knees together. Quickly, he raised the syringe high with both hands.

Across the field, Jack looked up from his battle to see the Predacon atop a pile of Decepticon bodies, lit by blue flames against a black sky that twinkled with stars. It reared up on its hind legs, Ratchet riding on its neck, with the syringe of Plague raised high in the air. Jack knew that the word 'awesome' was overused, its true meaning forgotten. But that image became seared into his brain, because it truly was awesome, in every sense.

"Don't worry," Ratchet called out to his mount as he stabbed the needle into its neck. "I minored in veterinary sciences!" He pressed the plunger.

11

The Predacon's optics widened in surprise and pain as the virus entered its system. The beast's back heaved and Ratchet was thrown off. He landed unharmed in the middle of a group of insecticons, and braced for battle, but they were all staring at the beast. Ratchet watched as it tried to jump up and fly. No go. It convulsed in midair and crashed down. The creature rolled on its side and groaned weakly. Already, one optic was surrounded by black.

Jack and the others shoved through the Decepticons to stand by Ratchet. The Predacon lay at that their feet. It let out a low, keening wail and clawed feebly with its hind legs. All of them, Autobots and Decepticons alike, felt a great upwelling of pity for the noble beast, corrupted by Megatron's evil, now dying, and none of it its own fault.

Suddenly, the sound of jets split the air. A massive, silver, _alien_ plane cut through the night. Jack watched as it circled back towards them before splitting apart. The metal plates reformed into the shape of the Decepticon leader, who crashed to the ground by the beast, his back to them. He stomped forward, even as the Autobots backed away. Megatron's anger was palitable, a physical force permeating the atmosphere. Jack watched as the massive silver and violet mecha knelt by the head of his monster.

"Raf, we need a ground-bridge," Jack heard Arcee say quietly. He did nothing. _Could _do nothing.

Megatron reached out with one hand and rubbed the Predacon's horns. It made an odd coughing noise and nuzzled against the Decepticon leader. He stroked its neck, taking in the sight of its blackened optic, the broken off syringe. His plates began to rattle.

The Autobots continued to back away, the troops actually parting to let them through. They knew what was to come. As the Autobots neared the edge of the group, they heard the distinctive sound of a ground-bridge opening behind them.

Megatron slowly stood up, shoulders slumped. The Decepticons felt the air grow colder, fraught with tension. Dark energy crackled around their leader. Suddenly, he threw back his head, arched his back, raised his arms, and _screamed_.

When Megatron finally collapsed, he could sense that he was alone. The troops had left, the Autobots had escaped. And the Predacon was barely alive.

Jack stepped through the ground-bridge with the Apex Armor tucked under his arm. He looked up at the others, who should be elated, and saw only sorrow. He understood.

Miko ran up to him, shouting. "How did it go?" she asked. He looked up, and their eyes met. Miko was shocked to see tears forming in his eyes. "We failed?" she whispered. He shook his head.

"Worse." His voice came out as a harsh murmur, barely even recognizable. "We succeeded."

She walked him over to the log by the fire pit. Once again, someone had lit a blaze as night fell. But Jack looked at it and only saw the Predacon, yellow optics burning. They sat, Miko supporting him. He heard himself whispering, talking. Telling the tale. "It was horrible, watching it fall. Like... like seeing a dinosaur in a tar pit. Doomed. But not its fault. It didn't know any better."

She patted his back, trying to be comforting, swallowing all of the harsh comments and snide comebacks. "Arcee injected the Plague," she said. It wasn't a question, but he responded anyway.

"No. It was Ratchet." Even as he said it, he realized how wrong that statement seemed. They both looked up at Ratchet, surrounded by the other Autobots.

"Ratchet, how..." Arcee began. "I mean..." She trailed off as she met his optics- green instead of their usual blue.

"Synth-En," he said. If the others weren't already so deep in shock, they would've gasped. Especially since he didn't seem to be displaying the belligerance he had last time. "I kept a single vial... In case of emergency. I-"

He broke off with an odd look, then doubled over in pain. "Ratchet!" Arcee exclaimed, and Bumblebee whirred.

Emerald liquid poured out of the medic's elbow, splattering on the ground. He groaned, optics fluttering, and went down to one knee. "Ratchet," she called again.

"I... An emergency valve... I installed after the first incident. Designed to purge my system of Synthetic Energon, should I inject myself again. I'll be fine." He slowly stood up, knees shaking.

"You're not the only one, Doc."

The Autobots and humans looked up to find the origin of the raspy voice. What they saw warmed them to the very core of their being. Wheeljack and Optimus, weakly supporting one another, moving to join the group.

"Jack," the massive red and blue mecha said. "I chose well."

He smiled up at Optimus, the first real smile in ages, it felt like. "Welcome back."

And then they were all cheering, rejoicing, the sorrows and hardships and fears all washed away in a tide of joy.

Megatron stood in the hall outside the laboratory in New Kaon. This one, so much larger than that aboard the _Nemesis_, was fully equipped to deal with the Predacon. Though he had dispaired at first, he had recognized the tell-tale signs of Cybonic Plague, and ordered the synthesis of its cure immediantly. The beast , he was sure, would be fine.

The doorway opened, and Shockwave strolled out, emotionless as always. Megatron waited to hear the good news.

"The antivirus has been rejected."

Well. That was unexpected.

"Rejected?" Megatron snarled. "What do you mean? How can it be rejected?"

"The Autobots have altered the virus' formula," Shockwave stated. "Instead of removing the disease from the Predacon, the cure is instead acting as a catalyst. It will be impossible to discover an antidote in the time it has left."

Megatron's optics widened. So his pet would indeed go offline. He shoved past Shockwave and into the lab. Inside, the beast lay curled up on an extra-large operating table, as though it were simply asleep. Megatron gripped the edge of the table as one of the Predacon's optics opened. Shockwave slipped in behind his leader.

"The Autobots believe this is a great victory. But they have mearly delayed us. Inconvenienced us. The loss of one Predacon is hardly a great blow to the Decepticon cause." When Megatron said nothing, he went on, "We can clone an entire army from the CyberNucleic Acid I extracted. All that is required is a proper facility, and we could-"

"No!"

The one-eyed engineer stepped back as Megatron stood to his full height and turned. Shockwave looked down and realized that while he had been talking, the Predacon had taken its last breaths. The beast was dead.

"You have failed me, Shockwave. Your 'ultimate hunter' has been nothing but a disgrace, failing to destroy even one Autobot. Our troops have been decimated!" The Decepticon leader turned back to the beast's table. "I will not heed your plans any more. From now on, you and Knockout shall be on equal footing. And Starscream will be my second in command."

"Understood, my liege."

Megatron's optics narrowed as he gazed upon his slaughtered pet. "The Autobots will _pay_," he growled.

**A/N: the credits would start here, roll through, coming up next on The Hub, yada yada yada. Then, after the music ends but before we see the K-O Paper thing with the typewriter, we see this:**

12 (Bonus)

Many months had passed since the Predacon died. Many months since the Decepticons had gathered around the hole in the desert, watching as the beast's body was gently lowered down and covered with rocks. Months since anything had disturbed the pile of granite the was the only grave marker of a once-mighty creature.

Sunlight streamed down from the sky, but its warm beams never reached the ground around the grave. Huge, dark clouds obscurred the celestial fire. And yet, the area was lit.

By a wicked amethyst glow.

Cracks spread in every direction from the stone pile, radiating the same sickly shade of lavender. The massive rocks shifted as the earth was ripped apart. Slowly, from the center of the grave, a deep purple glow got brighter and brighter. A peircing whine built as the quake continued, until it seemed as though the entire desert would split apart into a massive chasm.

And then it stopped.

The rocks settled, the earth stopped glowing, and the clouds went away. All was peaceful once again.

Then a massive clawed limb thrust out of the grave and grasped at the air.

**A/N: best episode yet. just sayin. technically, 12 wouldn't actually be shown except probably on the episode's premier, so it would be a kind of special preview only to those watching it right then.**

**I would appreciate some reviews, to give me some sense of what my audience thinks. Just sayin'.**

**This is just a suggestion to the people who run : can you make it so that we can illustrate our stories? Because I've got some awesome pictures of my OC's that I'd like to show, and the dinky cover picture doesn't work so well for that.**


	13. trailers

**A/N: I had a thought; beast hunters had trailers on the hub, right? so what would trailers have looked like for my season three? these are what i came up with. the first one is a generic 'story so far' one that if you watched seasons 1 and 2 or read my 'previously' chapter, you can skip. the second is a short teaser trailer. the third is a complete trailer. you can add in your own musical background if you want.**

1

letter display: TRANSFORMERS PRIME SEASON 3 IS COMING. _(fades)_ BUT DO YOU KNOW THE STORY SO FAR?

_flash on a desert mesa_

optimus: as of today, only we five autobots remain on this earth...

_show cliffjumper getting blown up_

arcee: cliff's gone, standing around here sulking won't bring him back

_misdirection, show airachnid's ship crashing_

raf: a cybertronian escape pod?

_show forest battle, smokescreen runs in_

smokescreen: down in front!

_blaster fire, explosion, smokescreen standing victorious_

smokescreen: now that you have help, how hard could it be to end this war?

bulkhead: take a good look newbie...

_series of explosions and battles_

bulkhead: this is how hard!

optimus: it is paramount that we locate the omega keys

_show the battles for each key_

optimus: the omega lock is on cybertron

_show the lock emerging from the ground. megatron activates the lock. _

optimus: megatron must be stopped

_a beam strikes earth. optimus destroys the lock. show the huge battle over their base_

optimus: the decepticons have invaded jasper.

_show the tower, the nemesis, the seeker armada_

megatron: decepticons! transform and rise up!

_show more of the battle_

optimus: the base is lost. we must disperse if we are to avoid capture

_show everyone leaving. optimus raises the star saber. the nemesis flys over the base. its cannon charges up then fires._

megatron: the autobots now face their darkest hour. mwah ha ha ha ha!

_show optimus' arm in the rubble_

letter display: ONLY ON

2

letter display: THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE ALL FEAR...

_show various frames from seasons 1 and 2 of autobots looking frightened_

letter display: WE FEAR FAILURE...

_show the autobot base blowing up_

letter display: WE FEAR DEATH...

_show airachnid killing tailgate_

letter display: WE FEAR THE DARK...

_show the scene from scrapheap where the lights go out (no sound)_

letter display: WE FEAR... THE UNKNOWN

_show the predacon's yellow eyes glaring out of the darkness_

ratchet: by the allspark...

megatron: it has begun...

jack: this time, it's either them...

_show the vehicon legions_

jack: or it's us

_show the autobots and humans gathered (except optimus)_

jack: there won't be a retreat

_fade to black_

letter display: ONLY ON

3

_show optimus' arm sticking out of the rubble_

megatron: find me the body of prime!

_starscream cowers. show jack, miko, and raf_

jack: who knows if ratchet or optimus even made it out

_show the base blowing up, then the gathering of all the autobots and humans (except optimus of course)_

miko: the cons blew it up? there's nothing?

ratchet: optimus would have contacted us by now

_show the darkened scene where an 'unidentified mecha' drags the forge of solus prime into the desert at night, then transforms into an incomplete semi truck and drives away. show megatron on his throne_

megatron: a storm is coming

shockwave: the autobots will continue to plague you

_show them battling by new kaon_

shockwave: you have a planet to rule

_show megatron crushing an imaginary globe_

shockwave: you cannot afford to waste time

_show explosions, battle_

shockwave: i present to you, the fruit of my labors

_a single clawed limb emerges from a space-bridge and slams into the floor. show megatron falling into his throne. fade to black as there's a spine-tingling roar_

_show more battle, and explosions, and fire_

shockwave: the time has come...

_even more battle and fire_

shockwave: to release...

_still more battle and explosions_

shockwave: the predacon

_show it roaring towards the camera for a split second, then a montage of shadowy battle scenes with it involved_

ratchet: by the allspark! here! now!

_another battle scene with fire and screeching_

jack: go!

arcee: not without you!

_explosion_

megatron: your place is in the lab!

_arcee smashing vehicons with her blades_

bulkhead: we need to get back!

_another explosion, jack in the apex armor getting blown through a ground-bridge by a wall of fire_

shockwave: we can clone an entire army

_show legions of marching vehicons, then show the insecticon hive hanging off of the nemesis_

megatron: you call this loyalty, starscream?

_show a massive battle scene on the desert plain_

jack: it's suicide

_more battle. show megatron smacking starsceam._

megatron: destroy the autobots!

_another battle scene_

megatron: their corpses will pave the road to our future!

_show the autobots surrounded_

megatron: nothing will stand in our way!

_show bumblebee and smokescreen about to fall into a crevice_

jack: this time, there won't be a retreat

_show ratchet doubled over in pain_

jack: this time, it's either them...

_bulkhead being sent flying by a blow to the face_

jack: or it's us

_show the autobots running through new kaon while the predacon roars. show jack in the apex armor crushing a vehicon. show wheeljack, one leg missing, jerking against retraits as he's stuck with an energon prod. show smokescreen punching a butt-ugly decepticon in the face. show jack pounding on the predacon, shrouded in darkness._

_extra long dark pause between scenes_

_show ratchet riding the predacon, which is reared up on its hind legs with its wings spread, wreathed in blue flames, atop a mountain of decepticon bodies._

letter display: ONLY ON

**A/N: I think they're TV worthy trailers. you might have noticed that jack's dramatic line 'its either them or its us' was not in the real thing. well, the way i see it, thats true of a lot of trailers. take the first transformers live action film. in one trailer, defense secretary keller said, "we are facing war against a technological civilization far superior to our own. they can take any shape. they can be anywhere." that line was awesome, but it was never in the film.**

**anywho, i just thought this was an awesome idea. when i do the reposts of the episodes (meaning when i finish episode 4) i'll put this as the first chapter so that any newbies can read it. **

**BTW, if my followers wouldn't mind, i'd appreciate any and all publicity you'd like to offer. i am obviously a new writer, this is my only story and it will be until its finished. so i'm not very well known. i think that, as an exchange, anyone who would be willing to advertise this story in their own story somehow, should send me a message, and tell me one of **_**their**_** stories they would like me to advertise on here. and i will do it. (and FYI, anyone who promises should deliver, cause i'll check. if you don't deliver, i wont either. well, i mean, it doesn't need to be every chapter. but at least one recent one).**


End file.
